Boruto and the New Generation
by kulamrit5625
Summary: POST- NARUTO GAIDEN: The 4th Great Ninja War has long since ended, but the Seventh Hokage and Sasuke Uchiha are far from at ease. They know a greater threat looms over, and that after over a decade of peace they may not have they strength to stop it. The time is coming for a new generation of ninja heroes.
1. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

**Hi everyone this is the first chapter of my first fanfic I hope to to have the next chapter up by next week since I'll working for the rest of this one. AS much as I'm looking forward to the new Boruto movie this fanfic doesn't take into account any events that will occur in it. Please comment and review (nothing hurtful please) and enjoy the show.**

* * *

The clock in the classroom indicated that their jonin instructor was already thirty minutes late. Boruto was growing impatient, a trait his sweet mother told was inherited from his lame father. He always took his mother's criticism to heart but wished that she would stop comparing him so much to his father. His father is the Seventh Hokage and is celebrated as the greatest hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War alongside the father his friend/rival Sarada Uchiha who sat with him and his other friend Mitsuki as they sat alone waiting for their mutual jonin instructor. When Boruto asked his mother if his father had told who their jonin instructor would be she simply stated:

" _Let's just say it's someone who is close to your father"_.

Of course that answer didn't satisfy him, since everyone seemed to be close to the Seventh except for him, his own son.

It had been forty-five minutes now, and enough was enough for Boruto.

"When is he gonna show up?!" he screamed and stood up with frustration.

"Indeed, this is rather immature and unbecoming for a jonin" Mitsuki added in agreement. Boruto sat back down in his place beside Mitsuki. Mitsuki always knew how to back up Boruto's impulsive bursts with intellectual jargon and logic (something Boruto was grateful for since it kept from always looking idiotic). Boruto looked at Sarada sitting on the other side of Mitsuki with a rather nonchalant expression on her face. While Boruto was good reading people's emotion reading their thought (especially Sarada's) was a talent that belonged to his friend Inojin who had been assigned to another team. It was a talent that Boruto sometimes wished he had since it would mean he could tell exactly what his father was thinking when he missed his birthday or who their ridiculously tardy jonin instructor was supposed to be.

Just as Boruto got up for another outburst, the door flung open who was undoubtedly the one they had been forced to wait a whole hour for, judging by the signature green vest that that all chunin and jonin were to wear. While Mitsuki looked relieved, and Sarada looked like she had for the past hour (nonchalant), Boruto was flustered and almost annoyed at the sight of the man he knew all too well. The upright brown hair and goatee, along blue neckerchief were the signature of the legendary Konohamaru Sarutobi; grandson of Supreme Ninja Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage and considered the greatest before the Seventh. There was a wide grin on their new instructor's face as if he'd been on time and sure enough,

"Sorry you three I was told our meeting was an hour later" Konohamaru excused, but the bags under his eyes told Boruto and his new teammates that he had only woken up an hour ago.

Their newly appointed Konohamaru-sensei led them outside to a spot under the famous Hokage Monument overlooking the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Boruto silently wondered why they were told to meet in that hat and stuffy classroom if they were going to come outside anyway. His train of thought was then interrupted by their rather jovial Konohamaru-sensei,

"Well everyone, as you know I am going to be your instructor, trainer, leader, etc. from now on. I am very happy to meet you all except I already know some of you", eying Boruto with a mischievous and annoyed glare, then continued,

"So let's start with introductions, laying out our likes, dislikes, and maybe goals for the future, I'll go first. I'm Konohamaru Sarutobi, I like being a ninja, hanging out with my cousin Mirai, as well as eating ramen with the Seventh. As for dislikes, just mostly troublemakers" eying Boruto again, "and my goals is to become Hokage just my Grandfather the Third Hokage". Boruto scoffed at the idea of this man being Hokage, not that he doubted his sensei's abilities, he was in fact one of the leaf's best, but Boruto believed anyone who wants to be Hokage must be crazy and selfish.

"Well alright Boruto I guess it's your turn" said Konohamaru-sensei. He sighed and began,

"Okay, I am Boruto Uzumaki, I like pulling pranks on my Dad and other people" eying Konohamaru then continued,

"I also love my mother and little sister Himawari, and I hate Hokages, and ramen. My goal is to become a ninja 10x stronger than my Dad and beat in battle." Konohamaru looked slightly insulted over Boruto's comment about Hokages and ramen.

"Alright now Sarada", said Konohamaru,

"I am Sarada Uchiha, I love my mother and father even though he isn't around, I enjoy training and being a ninja, my only dislike is idiot boys, and my dream is to be a great Hokage like the Seventh." Sarada grinned clearly happy at agitating him with her dream. Boruto simply scoffed and stared lightning bolts at her which were easily ignored.

Then Mitsuki's turn. Everyone was interested about what he had to say since he was seriously shrouded in mystery. Even Boruto didn't know much about him other than that he wasn't born the Leaf Village. Finally Mitsuki's moment of truth came.

"Well, I'm Mitsuki. I wasn't born in the Leaf but I like it here, I enjoy reading and training, I don't particularly dislike anything, and goals for the future... haven't thought about 'em."

Konohamaru-sensei looked satisfied, Sarada looked like she maybe interested by him, Boruto was just deadpan. He hadn't learned anything new about him except the things he already knew, which amounted to a little more than nothing.

There was a pause after Mitsuki's introduction. Boruto could tell that everyone present were hoping to learn more about the mysterious immigrant. "Well, that was fun. You guys all seem pretty interesting, and I guess tomorrow we'll also get to know how good you are at being ninja" said Konohamaru.

"Wait you mean like a test?" Boruto questioned. Konohamaru-sensei smiled.

That's right the fact that you're all here right means your too good for the academy, but I'm the one who decides if your good enough serve as true Leaf ninja." Boruto wanted blurt about his hatred of tests (despite him A-cing most of them), and he could tell Sarada wanted to declare that she would pass whatever test thrown at her but Mitsuki spoke before either of them,

"Sounds logical and reasonable, since it doesn't take a prodigy to pass the academy, but it takes more than luck to make it as real ninja." Konohamaru looking impressed by Mitsuki, and like he himself had to be somewhere important. Thus, dismissed the three;

"Well alright we'll meet at the training grounds by the river at 6:00 AM tomorrow, make sure you bring lunch". With that he disappeared in a puff of smoke. _6:00 AM, talk about demanding_. Boruto then began thinking about what they could be tested on that the academy hadn't already been through.

* * *

"So what did you think of 'em?", The Hokage asked with a curious smile.

"Well Naruto, your son and Sarada seem to be eager to prove themselves to you, just not in the same way. As for Mitsuki, he's a mystery I hope to one day solve. He seems earnest and honest, But I feel he's keeping something that might be best to share." Naruto simply nodded with that same smile on his face. Konohamaru knew that the Seventh Hokage, his friend and mentor, took his position very seriously. Although he was incredibly easygoing, and sometimes seemed lazy, Konohamaru was one of the few people who understood that underneath all that was a man made responsible, reasonable, and shrewd by the years. Konohamaru knew that he'd been assigned to this team both to make sure Boruto and Sarada didn't stray on to a less pleasant path, and to learn more of Mitsuki. Naruto began again;

"I know you'll figure him out Konohamaru, being old man Third's grandson and all that", Konohamaru became flustered,

"You know I don't like being compared to him since I know I'll be greater than both him, _and_ you put together."

"I have no doubt about that." There was sincerity in Naruto's voice. Konohamaru grew nostalgic it had been a while since the two of them had spoken like this, with complete disregard to their ranks and only looking to the the future. Ever since Naruto became Hokage times like this were rare.

"So what test are you planning on giving our fearsome threesome?" Naruto inquired.

"The test? I was just thinking I go with the classic bell test, always sends an interesting message."

"True, except I already told Boruto and Sarada about the bell test last weekend when our families had dinner and Sarada's mother and I began reminiscing about our old Team Kakashi days."

"Yeah, well now I gotta think of new test since you went and spoiled everything." Konohamaru sighed.

"Relax, I already got the perfect test for you use for them. Something I think is more fun but just as insightful as the old bell test." Naruto said with a slightly mischievous smirk

"I'm listening." Thus the Seventh began explaining his new test idea, both Hokage and jonin wearing the same mischievous smirk all the way through.

After Naruto finished explaining the test Konohamaru couldn't help but marvel at the hokage's practical genius.

"That's a great idea" Konohamaru complimented.

"Of course it is, I came up with it."

"As if all your ideas are great." Konohamaru teased with a grin.

"Name one that wasn't."

"Using firestyle jutsu to make ramen, or using rasengan to dig holes for gardening, want me to continue?" Konohamaru's grin got wider as watched the great seventh hokage hanging his head in shame. Konohamaru knew that normally Naruto would have shot something back but he knew those were amongst his worst ideas, and that his wife had given him hell for; his wife who was usually soft-spoke and uncommonly sweet. Konohamaru let the hokage pull himself together, before asking:

"anything else you want to talk about Naruto?" Naruto didn't answer the question right away. he got up and began staring the out his office window; the window through which the Hokage could watch over the entire village. Or at least he could until the expansion right above the hokage monument had been built. Naruto finally began.

"It's been well over a decade since the fourth great ninja war, since the sealing of Kaguya, since me and Sasuke finally settled our differences." Naruto had paused before mentioning that last event. Konohamaru knew how that was the event that cost Naruto and Sasuke their arms. Even though Naruto had gotten the arm replaced, and he and Sasuke had long since made up, Konohamaru understood, that he and Sasuke had gone at each other harder than they had in any other battle. Not many people knew of that conflict considering most of the world was under Kaguya's genjutsu. Those who did, knew that that battle represent Naruto and Sasuke's base natures, something both were afraid of.

Naruto finally began again, " Sasuke's coming back in a week's time."

"You mean he finally found something out regarding the threat apparently great that Kaguya Ootsutsuki?" Konohamaru inquired of his mentor.

"His message from the hawk didn't say, but that's what I'm guessing." Naruto paused. "He misses his family and won't be back until he knows he'll never have to leave again. The only way he can do that is for us we take care of this problem ASAP." Naruto continued to look out his window at the village he was sworn to protect as he was speaking. This village was like family to him, and Konohamaru knew that Naruto protected his family at _all_ costs.

"Well, I suppose I'll get ready for tomorrow morning then, Bye." Konohamaru bowed respectfully at the hokage still looking at his window and took his leave."

On his way home Konohamaru began thinking about the test he would put his new team through. Though he was looking forward too see how they would overcome it, a part of him was hoping they would fail and he would have send them back to the academy. He knew that if they passed and became ninja there would be no way for them to avoid the war that he knew was fast approaching.


	2. Chapter 2: Trick-or-Test

Sasuke put another piece of tomato into his mouth as he sat against the tree thinking of home. He knew he'd sent the messenger hawk to the hokage the day before so he had less than a week till he'd return. A time period to long to wait to be with his wife and daughter. He put aside his lunch and pulled a small picture out of his bag. A picture of himself, his beautiful wife Sakura, and his sweet daughter Sarada. The daughter he'd left alone for the majority of her childhood and only met her again when _she_ came looking for looking for _him_. He didn't admit it at that time but he was ashamed of himself. He'd kept his precious little girl waiting so long that she took matters into her own hands. All that showed was how lonely he'd left her. However, despite the shame he felt for himself, he was happy that Sarada was willing to come that far for him, proud that she hadn't dismissed him as a deadbeat father otherwise she'd never have come looking.

As he exited of the forest, he came to a large valley in the earth. On each side was a statue; one of himself on the side he came out on, and on the other, Naruto Uzumaki: the seventh hokage. They were both performing the seal of confrontation to each other. Originally these statues were of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the founders of the Leaf Village. As far as the majority of the ninja world was concerned this valley and the statues had been destroyed during the battle when most of the world was under the infinite Tsukuyomi. While that was more or less true, the details of the battle were something that Sasuke and Team Kakashi decided to keep between themselves as well as a few close friends. Sasuke stood atop his own statue, staring down the one across from him, the one of his friend and rival. It was a nostalgic and painful sight; the ninja villages made these statues to symbolize both the rivalry and reconciliation of the two heroes of the 4th great ninja war, but to Sasuke it served as a painful but necessary reminder of the mistakes of his youth; mistakes he knew he could never atone for. This thought made him clutch his stump of a left arm. The village offered him a prosthetic arm, but Sasuke figured that even though the world had pardoned him for his crimes, he could pardon himself, thus he refused. Naruto of course accepted the arm. Knowing that he had yet to become hokage at the time, Sasuke understood completely. Sasuke always knew Naruto would brighten the village hidden in the leaves with his radiance, and for that he needed both arms. The village needed a leader with faith in himself, and didn't wallow in self-pity. Sasuke didn't need both arms for his duties, for he was not a leader. He was simply a servant and guardian to the village and his family. That was the best attempt he could make at atonement.

* * *

6:00 AM was ridiculously early for Boruto, and he'd told his mother as much when she pulled him out of bed. But his mother gave the best response Boruto could expect from her.

 _"Think of it this way. The earlier the exam the earlier you become a ninja."_ That was all the encouragement Boruto needed. He did want to become a ninja, he did want it fast, and he wanted to show his father that the new generation was taking over. That was what allowed him to arrive five minutes. Only Sarada and Mitsuki had beaten him there and worse they didn't look tired. _Would kill them to pretend to be tired_. He supposed it would. Boruto was recognized as prodigy, but these other seemed to have a kind of dedication to timing that Boruto could never have.

"Finally made it, huh Boruto" Sarada said.

"Shut up will ya, at least I value sleep more than trying to kiss up to the sensei." That had earned Boruto a punch to the gut from Sarada. A punch with same inhuman strength her mother could muster up. The strength his father had told much about. As he rubbed his the spot that was assaulted, he realized something was something. _Damn of course he's not here_.

"Where the hell is Konohamaru-sensei? He thinks he can make us come here this early while he takes sweet time?!" Boruto said with the utmost frustration.

"Hn. First off Boruto it may best to keep your voice down since he's probably watching to see how will react to his tardiness." Mitsuki cautioned

"Who cares if he's- wait, what? He watching us? How do you know that?"

"That's what I'm wondering too" Sarada added respectfully to Boruto's outburst.

"It's exactly like when we met in the classroom. Jonin purposely lead their quarry to think that they are weak or at a disadvantage when rather their trying to observe their nature and see if their getting overconfident. Konohamaru-sensei likely wants us to think that he's just lazy so he can observe how we react to an enemy's movements."

"That makes sense. For a ninja deception is important, and by making us think he's lazy, he creates a situation in which he'll be able to see if we'll react annoyance, or wait like ninja to see what he's endgame is" said Sarada.

"Precisely Sarada. He's been testing us since we were assigned to him as a team." Mitsuki respectfully replied. _I can't exactly argue with guy, rather I never can. But one thing still bugs me._

"So if he's just testing us to see how we'll react, and we've already figured out that there is some deeper meaning behind his action, one question remains: Why is he still hiding? As far I'm concerned we passed his little test so he should come out right now." Boruto stated. But before either Mitsuki or Sarada got a chance to say something a jovial voice spoke up right behind him.

"You're right you did pass my _little_ test. You're also right too Mitsuki, I was testing you to see if you be patient and try to understand your enemy or if you'd simply grow impatient and give the enemy that chance to win." Boruto was surprised at how quickly he'd appeared behind him, and that he'd heard everything, Boruto couldn't even begin to imagine where he was hiding the whole time to know exactly how their conversation was going.

"Alright now let's see if you can pass the big test." Konohamaru exclaimed.

"Bring it on." Sarada and Boruto spoke in unison, whilst Mitsuki simply listened and watched.

"Well I like to call this test, the bell test." Konohamaru said.

"Boruto and I already know that one." Sarada explained.

"This one is special. Instead of two bells there are three. And instead them being small and with me. They're big and hidden throughout the forest around us. What you're aiming to do is to simply ring all three bells. You can do it however you want, but you have to only have until sundown to do it. Understood?"

All three examinees nodded in unison.

"Perfect. Begin!" With that Konohamaru sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving Boruto and his team to their own devices.

"This seems more like scavenger hunt than ninja exam. The only thing remotely hard here would be finding the bells." Boruto said.

"Well judging how Konohamaru-sensei's been testing us at every turn, there's more to this bell test than meets the eye." Sarada replied.

"I agree." Mitsuki began. "The sensei is clearly far more cunning than he like to let on. This test was no doubt designed because you two are already aware of the old bell test, and he's also trying to see how well the three of us can work in unison and understand one another, so I suggest we split up here."

"What?" Boruto and Sarada exclaimed in unison.

"Why would we split if you already said the test is to see how well we work in unison and understand each other?" Sarada questioned.

"That's right, we ought to stick together. Boruto added in agreement.

"Hear me out guys." Mitsuki began again. "Just because sensei's the one running the exam doesn't mean he can be the only to do the testing. Let's see how he reacts with us split in much more vulnerable positions. Who knows? We may find a weakness in his moves, and trick him." Boruto was confused by Mitsuki's plan. Most of it made sense save for one thing. _How are we supposed to trick a jonin, and Konohamaru-sensei no less_? Though Boruto didn't speak his mind this time. He knew that whenever this silver-haired boy talked, everyone else had to shut up. Boruto looked over at Sarada and could tell that the raven-haired kunoichi was thinking the same thing.

"Alright, let's meet back here at midday, for lunch and to see what move Konohamaru-sensei pulls on us." Boruto said. The other two nodded in acknowledgment and the three prospective ninja went their own ways.

* * *

The forest itself was incredibly large for a ninja, and Mitsuki understood that the test was not to _find_ the bells but to _ring_ them. Thus, finding them would no doubt have to be the easy part. Splitting up seemed most logical considering that there were three bells and three of them. More so than that, they could gather more information on the true nature of this test by splitting up, especially since Mitsuki knew neither he nor his teammates were idiots (despite how they behaved).

The bell Mitsuki came to was along the river. it golden colored and or 7-ft tall. Mitsuki guessed Konohamaru-sensei used the summoning jutsu to bring the bell here since carrying it personally would've been a nightmare. Save for Mitsuki's formers classmate Metal Lee who prided himself on doing things by hand. _There don't seem to be any traps but I shouldn't let guard down considering it's Konohamaru-sensei. I'll approach slowly._

As Mitsuki cautiously approached the bell, he heard rustling sound coming from the forest on his left and quickly ducked. _Judging by the wind the projectile cut through, I must've barely dodged_. In the river on right was floating a short thin log. Mitsuki smiled and turned to his left.

"A log sensei? I'm assuming you want to avoid seriously hurting me, hence why you didn't use a real weapon." Mitsuki called out. Sure enough Konohamaru-sensei stepped out into the open.

"Well this is all to test your skills after all not how well you can take blade to the head. Nice dodge by the way." the jonin answered back.

"I appreciate the compliment sensei. Now let me try making sense of this situation. You've appeared before so no doubt you're here to test my my skills personally, and that your testing Boruto and Sarada in the same manner. " Mitsuki said.

"Go on." Konohamaru-sensei replied with a curious smile.

"You can't focus all your energy on me without leaving Boruto and Sarada to ring their bells, on top of that you have to leave some sort fighting chance so I'll get to display all my skills. So I'm assuming that this is a shadow clone I'm facing, and you've have one at each of the other bells confronting Boruto and Sarada as we speak." Mitsuki finished. Konohamaru-sensei stared at him with what seemed like pride before speaking again: "well done Mitsuki, I didn't think someone fresh out of the academy would have been able to deduce all that on his own, save for someone from the Nara clan. Just because you've figured out part of my strategy doesn't mean you've passed the test. You still have to prove you can ring this bell." He was pointing the bell as he finished.

Mitsuki couldn't help but smile at the sensei's cunning and the new information he had worked out. _Now may be the ideal time to return and discuss things with the others, but knowing those two, they'll probably stay to face the sensei's clones if for no other reason than to show their strength. And it isn't even close to midday yet. I suppose I'll cut loose and show what I can do too_. Mitsuki got into a fighting stance and launched himself at the Konohamaru Sarutobi.


	3. Chapter 3: Ninja

_Soft physique modification!_ Mitsuki stretched out his arm and sent a punch directly the sensei's face, which was expectedly blocked with the sensei expectedly carrying a smirk on his face. He threw a few more outstretched punches at him which were all blocked by the far more talented ninja. _Of course attacks at this level won't work on jonin, especially one of Konohamaru-sensei's caliber, but the important thing is to see how he responds_. Mitsuki reached into his pouch and threw a kunai at the sensei which was dodged. He threw another, with the same result.

Throw.

Dodge.

Throw.

Dodge.

Throw.

Boom.

The last one Mitsuki had attached an explosive tag to. It explode right before it reached Konohamaru sensei's clone. After the smoke settled the clone of the sensei still with blue chakra dissipating from his palm in a spiral and with not a single scratch on him. _So he used rasengan to counter and dissipate the explosion. Impressive. So this is the power of a jonin._

"I'm impressed Mitsuki, you're the first of your teammates to actually get one of my clones to use ninjutsu, and even more impressive you didn't use ninjutsu to accomplish it. Simply your intelligence." Konohamaru said praising Mitsuki with a grin.

"Thank you for the compliment sensei." _Looks like mundane means aren't going to cut time for some ninjutsu of my own_.

* * *

 _Firestyle: fireball jutsu._ Sarada's jutsu was dissipated with a rasengan. _At least I was able to get him to use ninjutsu._ Up till now all of Sarada's attacks had been neutralized by the sensei's taijutsu. Getting him to use ninjutsu meant she was making progress, but it wasn't perfection yet.

"C'mon Sarada, you'll need to do better than that to be hokage." Konohamaru smiled.

 _Yeah, no kidding._ "Alright sensei, let's see if this works. Shannaro!" Sarada leaped at the sensei with another chakra enhanced punched only to find it had hit ground instead of flesh. Sarada turned behind her guessing correctly that her opponent was there with a rather surprised expression on his face. _Seems like he's impressed, that was my strongest punch yet after all_.

"I not impressed Sarada. That can't be you strongest punch right?" Konohamaru sensei said with a wide grin on his face. Sarada resisted the urge to spout back a sly remark of her own, and instead activated her sharingan preparing to get _really_ serious.

* * *

Boruto's shadow clones managed to get the sensei to hop around but they were still being done away with like flies. _At least I know I can get him to move, now if I could just get him to fall._ Boruto shadow clones were being thinned out so he created a few more. _I'll use my clones to distract while I hit him from a distance._ As the sensei was busy swatting aside Boruto's clones, blue chakra began to spiral into his hand in the shape of small sphere. As the last of the clones was cleared away Boruto himself threw his spiraling sphere at the sensei with almost blinding speed. _Rasengan!_ It was sure to hit were it not for the sensei using a large handheld rasengan of his own to counter it. Boruto gritted his teeth.

"A prodigy indeed Boruto. By deliberately creating a smaller rasengan you were able to throw it, and with immense speed no less. Most ninja your age can't even perform a regular rasengan." Konohamaru looked at him with what Boruto assumed was pride. He gazed up at the sun. It was clear that it was almost midday. He threw a smoke pellet and left to rendezvous with the others. Leaving the sensei and the bell behind.

* * *

Konohamru had specifically chosen a secluded part of the forest to hide himself. His clones fed him information on each of their battles with the prospective genin. _An ingenious plan indeed Naruto_. His mind went back to when his hokage explained this new bell test to him.

. . .

"I'm listening." Thus the seventh hokage began explaining his new test idea, both hokage and and jonin wearing the same mischievous smirk all the way through.

"It's like this. Instead of two bells on your person, there will be three bells, hidden in places through the forest, in places easy to find."

"And the goal is for the students to find and ring the bells I'm assuming." Konohamru interrupted.

"More or less."

"I don't get it." Konohamru couldn't see the point of them ringing bells that were hidden in easy places. Naruto sighed then began again, smiling.

"Since the bells themselves will be easy to find ringing them will have to be the real challenge."

"So I just place obstacles in the way? Say a clone at each bell."

"Not a bad idea, but that would be too simple. The test me, Sakura, and Sasuke went through had something deeper behind it." The hokage paused. Konohamaru waited patiently for him to begin again.

"You see Konohamru, the goal of this test is for them to prove to you that they can theoretically ring the bells. Not if they can actually manage. You see the members of this team actually get along a lot better than Team Kakashi used to. So teamwork won't be a problem. The problem is going to be: is teamwork enough? Or will there be something greater required?"

. . .

"Greater than teamwork, huh Naruto?" Konohamru thought out loud. "A sharp and swift ninja, a clever and strong kunoichi, and a young prodigious child of a kage. Not only are they on the same team, but they get along as well. I wonder what more will be needed?"

Konohamru stared up at the sun smiling to himself. There was cool breeze on the air which he was most grateful for. He wondered how long this weather will last before storm blows over.

* * *

Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki reached their meeting point at roughly the same time. _At least I'm not late this time_. Boruto looked over his friends. There was sweat dripping for their brows and they were covered scrapes and bruises. _And at least I'm not the only one who got his ass kicked_. Boruto had learned his mother a long time ago if you couldn't be the winner, at least don't be the only loser. That was how it turned out.

Boruto began: "so I'm guessing you guys went through hell as well, huh."

"Yeah", Sarada replied "The sensei doesn't hold anything back, even against genin."

"Wait you fought him too? I though you got wasted by some traps or something." Boruto was genuinely surprised.

"We all fought him", Mitsuki jumped in. "He left a shadow clone at each bell so he could test our abilities simultaneously."

"Makes sense", Sarada began. "After all the test wasn't to see if we could find the bells but if we could ring them, and what better way to do it than to confront us and see our capabilities directly."

"Precisely Sarada. Now that he's seen what we can do individually, the next move should be to-"

"Attack him as a team", Boruto interrupted. "We know where each of the bells are now, and with the knowledge we've gained individually we'll stand a much better chance than we would any other way."

Sarada seemed to be considering the option, while Mitsuki had a smile on his face.

"What's so funny rubber man?" Boruto was annoyed by his smile.

"Do you honestly think he went all out on us?" Mitsuki seemed amused. "With the knowledge we've gained, we stand a much better chance as a team than we would any other way, but do you really think that teamwork will be enough to defeat even a clone of ninja of Konohamaru sensei's caliber?"

"It could happen Mitsuki!" Boruto was blurted.

"But we'll be worn out by the time we manage to defeat one and ring that bell, what will we do about the next one? After all, ringing all three is the goal, not one or two." Mitsuki replied in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Well then what should we do Mitsuki?" Sarada began to question. "If ringing the bells one at a time is out of the question do we just give up?" Mitsuki didn't answer right away. He closed his eyes almost as if he was meditating for a slight moment, then opened them. As he did a smirk formed on his face. A smirk that meant Mitsuki had come up with a master plan.

Mitsuki finally began, "for now we'll eat, after that we'll verbally exchange formation about the sensei's abilities, then I'll explain my plan to you. I may have just discerned the true meaning behind this exam." It was clear Mitsuki knew what he was talking about. SO Boruto and Sarada did as they were told and ate. Boruto in particular was surprised by how confident Mitsuki seemed, and how his golden always seemed to be see the true nature of everything. At times Boruto thought it some sort of dojutsu like his mother's byakugan or Sarada's sharingan. However, whatever those eyes saw, wasn't because of a dojutsu, and Boruto knew it. That amounted to all Boruto knew about his friend. He wished knew more.

* * *

Konohamaru woke with a jump from his nap. _Someone's coming_. A kunai at his face which he effortlessly caught between his fingers. He heard what sounded like waves behind him and as he ducked, sure enough he had just dodged a strong jet of water that cut through the trees in their path. _That was Mitsuki's jutsu. The same one he used my clone_. He hopped away from his current position, as his three young opponents stepped out of the trees. Each one wearing a face of the utmost determination.

"So you decided to come directly for me?" Konohamru had considered that they might take an approach but not so soon.

"Sensei!" Boruto spoke up. He was standing in between his two teammates. "We decided, to lay everything on the line in this test!"

"Yeah!" His teammates added in.

"So, what?" Konohamru began. "Coming directly for me instead of going after the bells? That's how you're going to try beat this test?" He questioned.

"That's right." Mitsuki replied. "We'll just wear ourselves out fighting your clones and we'll never ring all your bells. That'll be a complete waste of our talents. Beating the real you will prove more difficult, but if by some ridiculously remote chance we do win, and we're still standing by the end of it, we'll be able to ring the bells without any hindrance whatsoever. That'll be enough proof of skills. We either win here and pass, or we lose and fail. All or nothing" Mitsuki explained. Konohamru was surprised by the determination of these children. _They know that even as a team they won't beat me. But they're prepared to put everything on the line, to succeed. They're prepared to defy the odds stacked against them. Is this the thing greater than teamwork you were talking about Naruto?_ Konohamru tightened his neckerchief, put on a confident grin and prepared to oblige his crazy, courageous, and bold students.

"All right Boruto. Sarada. Mitsuki. If you are truly prepared to put everything on the line to win here, then by all means come on. All of nothing!" That was all his students needed to hear. He looked on in pride as they came at him all at once.

* * *

Boruto knew they were outclassed by Konohamaru-sensei, he knew they weren't going beat him. _But this was the best chance we had of passing the test. Not that that's saying too much._

The sun had gone down, Boruto and his teammates were on their knees in front of Konohamru sensei with their heads held down. Boruto clothes had been torn, and his body was covered in bruises and scratches. His friends were in no better condition. Boruto looked to his right and Sarada who looked disappointed in herself more than anyone. _Exactly how I feel_. He turned to his right to look at Mitsuki who expression just as beaten as the rest of them except his was calm almost confident as he's expected this outcome _._

"Look at me." Konohamru sensei's voice interrupted his thoughts. Boruto and his friends did as commanded. Their sensei didn't have a single scratch on him. That's what annoyed Boruto the most. _After our great speech about putting everything on the line, this is how we ended up. Pathetic_. Boruto wished he could blame Mitsuki, but his friend had come up with the best plan out of all of them, and they all agreed to win together and lose together

"The sun has gone down, you haven't rung bells. You failed to defeat me." Konohamaru-sensei's voice was calm and devoid of any hint of condescension. "You put everything on the line in this fight and still lost. So there is no choice for me but to pass you all for this test." At the end of the last sentence a smile had formed on Konohamaru-sensei's lips, and Boruto and Sarada's jaws dropped at his words.

"You're joking." Sarada accused.

"Nope." The sensei replied. "You all pass. This test was designed to be impossible for you three. So I wanted to see what you would do in a situation like this, and you didn't disappoint. You showed me that you aren't only capable of working as a team but you're capable of losing as a team. I can see there is not the slightest bit hostility between the three of you for this loss. That is something important for any ninja to accept, after all we are the one who endure." Konohamru sensei finished. Boruto sighed in relief. Sarada pushed up her glasses with and let out a similar sigh. Mitsuki looked unsurprised by the sensei's words.

"Congratulations. The four us are now officially Team Konohamaru, Team 7." Boruto and stood up beside his friends and new sensei. _We're really ninja now_. Boruto wanted to cry, but he would never let Konohamaru-sensei see him like that. Sarada took a deep breath and said what he expected her to say. "I'm one step closer to being hokage now." Boruto couldn't help but feel glad that his friend was closer to achieving her dream, he just wished she didn't want to become hokage like his father. Pushing that thought away he looked over at Mitsuki and Mitsuki looked at him with that almost arrogant look on his face. _You were right Mitsuki. I don't how you knew, but you were right_.

. . .

The three of them had finished their lunches when Mitsuki began to explain. "It's clear that based on the direct tactics being used by the sensei, there is no way we'll be able to ring all the bells."

"What?" Boruto and Sarada said in unison. _What the hell would we be given an impossible test?_

"So..." Mitsuki began, "we have no choice but to confront the sensei directly."

"That's suicide Mitsuki!" Sarada exclaimed.

"Of course not. I'm certain the sensei has no intention of killing us." Boruto could tell Sarada was annoyed at Mitsuki sarcasm. Mitsuki resumed: "It's true we'll never beat him the way we are now. But since ringing the bells is impossible, the sensei must be testing us for something else for something else."

"Like what? Teamwork?" Boruto questioned.

"That would be too cliche. Especially considering that we already work so well as a team. No, he's looking for something greater than teamwork."

"Like what?" Sarada asked.

"Something the being able to able to share in defeat as a team. Being able to put everything on the line as a team. What better way to prepare us for the real world than teaching us about loss?" Mitsuki finished. Boruto thought this over before speaking again. "It sounds good Mitsuki. But what if you're wrong? This is quite the gamble your taking."

"That's true." Mitsuki replied. "But life itself is gamble, you have no idea when your world will come crashing down upon you, but sitting in one spot waiting for it to happen is true suicide. If you keep moving you can still salvage your wreck of a life right?" Boruto couldn't argue with that and by the look on Sarada's face, she couldn't either.

"Alright." Sarada spoke up. "Let's put everything on the line together. I'll find him. With that she activated her sharingan and led them to the sensei's location. _Yeah let's put everything on the line_.

. . .

Boruto didn't know much about Mitsuki, but he was glad they were friends, because having him for an enemy would be scary. Boruto had always been called a prodigy, but Boruto knew Mitsuki had much more potential than both he and Sarada put together. _Sorry Sarada, but if you want to be hokage, Mitsuki's the one you have to beat_ , _not me_.

"Alright you three, time for you to head home tell you families the good news, and get ready to be ninja. Our missions begin next week." Konohamaru-sensei dismissed them.

"Got it!" The three of them acknowledged in unison.

* * *

Mitsuki entered his apartment and turned on his light, revealing a hallway with his bedroom and kitchen on the left and bathroom on the right. At the end of the hallway hung an ornate knife on display. Underneath was note given to him by his mother. It read: _My son, this knife is your heritage, birthright, and legacy. May it protect you in your darkest moments, and guide you in your brightest_. Mitsuki couldn't help but feel sad looking at this last memento from his mother. It was all she had time to give him as their ship capsized. He took the knife in hand by it gold-hilt decorated with jewels. He read the inscription on its midnight black blade out loud.

"I shall bless those whom the sun blessed, I shall curse those whom the sun has chosen." He hung the knife back on its display.

He walked to his kitchen and quickly prepared himself some rice and eggs, and reflected on the events of the day. He was impressed by Konohamaru-sensei's slyness and the depth of the test. He found it hard to believe that he came up with it himself though. _A ninja huh, the ones who endure._ That is what he had heard about ninja from Shino-sensei at the academy. It made sense. Ninja performed missions both for paying clients as well as their own ninja villages. Right and wrong was a secondary priority. It made sense that ninja had much to endure if completion of the mission was prioritized over morality. He heard of sever cases of P.T.S.D. particularly during the era of the seventh hokage's but tin this era it was quite rare. This is peace time. _I just hope it stays that way_. His mother had always told him that that moon and sun always battled for control in the sky. That resulted in the changing of seasons, as well as day and night. If one is allowed to last for too long, the world will stiffen and crack from the lack activity. _And so it is with people_. His mother had told him.

He finished up his dinner and climbed into bed. He closed his eyes waiting for darkness to take him, to comfort him for the light would not. _Why? Why did the sun choose me Mom?_


	4. Chapter 4: Home

"I'm home!" Boruto happily announced his return. His moth gave him a hug. "Look at those injuries, here I'll get some ointment." His mother frantic.

"It's alright Mom. Really; just a few scrapes, besides I passed the test." Boruto told his mother.

"That's great, your' officially a ninja of the leaf now." His mother smiled as she tapped the symbol of their village upon his brow. "Come on I've got dinner waiting for you."

His mother led them to the kitchen and sat the dining table and sat him down, for red bean soup, and rice. He scarfed down his food as fast as he could ignoring his mother when she told him to chew. Each bite felt like a trophy for his achievement today. He was glad he had mother like Hinata Hyuga. He let out a sigh of relief as soon as he put the last bite into his mouth. He carried his dishes over to the sink to wash them, only for his mother to do them herself. "You shouldn't worry about dishes on a day like this. I'll take care of it." "Thanks, Mom". Boruto smiled.

After she finished, Boruto sat down across from her on the table. Boruto gazed into her mother pale lavender eyes, filled with love and warmth, eyes that also had the byakugan that neither he nor his sister Himawari did. He didn't complain, since he still he had Hyuga's ability to expel chakra from all 360 chakra points in his body, enabling him to use the gentle fist though as effectively as a user of the byakugan. But he was happy; power wasn't important him, family was. "So Boruto, tell me about the test, what was it like?" His mother inquired.

"It was a bell test, but not the same one Dad told us about, and it was also really weird."

"Weird how?"

"Well there were three bells we had to ring, they were easy enough to find, but ringing them was the hard part. Konohamaru-sensei had a clone situated at each bell and we all asses kicked."

"That Konohamru really didn't things easy on you, huh?"

"Wait, you knew he was gonna be our sensei?" He was genuinely surprised, but he nonetheless had an idea of how she knew.

"Your father told me." His mother seemed to know what he was feeling, it was an uncanny ability that Boruto would be afraid especially when it came to his father. He decided not to make an issue of now though. "Oh, I see. Well back to the test."

"Of course." His mother agreed.

"At lunch me, Sarada, and Mitsuki discussed our next move, and Mitsuki figured out that the test was designed to fail, and if we could accept loss as a team." His mother didn't interrupt she simply looked intrigued. "So he decided that we should face the real Konohamaru instead, of wearing ourselves out fighting his clones.

"So you three put everything on the line? That's quite a gamble. What if Mitsuki had been wrong?" He was surprised at his mother's ability to deduce their line of thinking so easily. _No doubt this came in handy during the 4th great ninja war_. He continued, "life's a gamble too Mom, and Mitsuki said that as well."

"Well that's good. Life is full of uncertainty, but moving forward in spite of that is what gives it meaning." There was silence in the room for a moment. Both of them reflecting on the conversation. "Your team…" His mother began. "Seems like you have good mix between you Sarada and Mitsuki."

"Yeah it does."

"And Mitsuki seems like a master of strategy."

"It's not so much that he's good at strategy, Mom."

"Really, than what is it?"

"It's hard to explain. I know that Shikadai, treats every situation and battle like a puzzle and simply has to put and the pieces together. Mitsuki seems like he treats these sorts of things as almost meaningless, and he gives them meaning. Not like I'm he condescending or cynical or anything, but he seems to think on an entirely different playing field than the rest of us."

"Well then, it's a good thing you two are friends, huh?" Boruto nodded in agreement with a nervous smile. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed. Good night Mom." "'Night." He climbed stairs, to the stairs and came to the hallway that his room was at the end of, the first room was his parents, in which his mother often went to bed alone in if she didn't stay up to wait for his father. The second room was his sister's. He heard soft snoring inside it. He couldn't keep himself from smiling at how cute it and almost soothing it sounded. It meant that she was alright.

When he finally came to his room, he turned on the light and walked into his nice and tidy room. _The only thing I actually make a point of keeping clean_. He changed into his night clothes and got into bed. _The only thing missing tonight was Dad_ , he thought as he closed his eyes.

* * *

"And then the sensei passed us. I was sure of we were gonna fail us, but Mitsuki was right in the end." Sarada sighed as she finished telling her mother about the test. Her mother hadn't interrupted once during her story, something that Sarada appreciated. Her mother had patiently waited and listened until the story was over. "That Konohamaru, of course he'd give a 'sure to fail' test. Especially after we already told about the old bell test. But I'm sure the hokage had something to do with it as well." Her mother sighed.

"Lord Seventh? You think he may have designed this test?" Sarada asked of her pink-haired mother.

"Likely, Konohamru is highly intelligent and clever, but the hokage must've had something to do considering the make-up of the team." Her mother explained.

"Make up of the team? You mean me and Boruto."

"And Mitsuki. From what I've heard he is incredibly talented, and mysterious."

"That's the truth. All I know about him is that he's an enigma."

"But he's also your friend right?"

"Yeah. I' glad of it. Don't tell Dad this but I'd be scared if he was my enemy. He just sees right through."

"I'm sure he's not your enemy." Her mother said with smile. "By the way speaking of your father, he's coming home at the end of the week." . Sarada's mouth dropped. She couldn't believe her father was coming home, and so soon.

"That's great Mom!" Sarada almost jumped out her seat.

"Yeah, I think we should prepare a special dinner for him."

"That's perfect. So how long is he staying this time?" Sarada asked. Her mother didn't answer right away, and she lowered head. _Doesn't look like he's staying too long_. Immediately her mother head shot with a huge grin on her. "Your father is staying, period." Sarada was shocked by this news. _Dad's actually coming home to stay. We're finally gonna be a proper family_. Sarada almost couldn't hold back her tears of joy. "No more waiting Sarada. I promise." She felt her mother's arms wrap around. "Yeah. No more waiting." Sarada could hardly get those words without crying in sheer happiness.

Sarada lay awake in her bed reflecting on the news. Her father was away on a mission, that much she was aware of. The details were said be on a need-to-know basis. _And I apparently I don't need to know. His own daughter_. Sarada rubbed the center of her forehead where her father had affectionately poked her. _"See you soon."_ He had said, and then walked off. _If he's coming home that must mean he's completed his mission. But what did he discover?_ She pushed those thoughts away and decided she would just ask him herself.

* * *

"So what did you think of 'em?" Naruto asked Konohamaru, who had come to report on his new students.

"There interesting to say the least. Your boy's a child prodigy like everyone says. Did you know he can already throw a rasengan, albeit a smaller one?"

"No way." Naruto was genuinely surprised by this. "He doesn't even know sage jutsu and he's already capable of that? Though I shouldn't be surprised he has his mother's chakra control after all."

"That he does." Konohamaru's tone suggested that he had seen his son's gentle fist in action. "He can't attack the chakra pathway system like other Hyuga but he can still utilize gentle fist in other unique ways. Compensating for his lack of the byakugan." Konohamaru finished.

"That's my boy!" Naruto son always did him proud. He had already far surpassed him when he was that age. _Even his pranks are better than mine were_. "Okay, so how about Sarada and Mitsuki?" Naruto continued questioning the jonin before him.

"Alright." Konohamaru began. "Well Sarada is incredibly powerful. She's already extremely skilled with chakra enhanced strength as well as her clan's firestyle jutsu and sharingan."

"That sounds scary." Naruto said with smile. He had seen young Sarada in action only once before, showcasing monstrous strength that even her mother didn't have at that age. _Well she is_ your _daughter, Sasuke_.

"If you think he's scary then you ought to see Mitsuki." Konohamaru continued.

"This should interesting." Naruto was interested about what could be so scary about a boy like Mitsuki.

"Well he's got quite an impressive skill set for some of his age. He can use the soft physique modification as well as various waterstyle jutsu that are quite advanced for his age. But the scariest thing is his mind." Now Naruto was interested. He had heard about Mitsuki incredible mastery of the skills of ninja. But people always seemed more intrigued by his mental capabilities.

"He is incredibly sharp for a boy of his age. He was the one who deduced the mechanics behind the test." Konohamru stated.

"Really? The test was designed so no one would figure it out. Was he spying on us while I explained the test to you?" Naruto didn't truly think he was spying on them with Naruto finding out. _That would be quite a feat unto itself_. The idea of him actually figuring the test was something Naruto never expected. "Well Mitsuki seems to be one hell of a strategist."

"He is clever to be sure. However, I don't think him figuring the test out was due to strategy." Konohamru stated.

"Then what is it?"

"It's more like he's got some kind of sixth sense, to see through all kinds of deception." Konohamaru explained.

"Sixth sense huh?" Naruto smiled. "Sounds interesting. Ninja are able to enhance senses they already have. We're able to detect the place and pressure of things by enhancing our sensory abilities. But a sixth sense is something I've never encountered before."

"Hm." Konohamaru nodded in agreement. Naruto was intrigued by this 'sixth sense' of Mitsuki's. _All I've learned about is how much I don't know him_. Naruto felt slightly uneasy not being able to decipher a boy who could decipher the hokage. Naruto recalled how he first encountered the boy in the hospital where he apparently walked in sick and starving. He recalled his golden eyes that seemed to see through everything. Eyes more precise than any dojutsu. "Konohamaru." Naruto began. "See how much you can learn about Mitsuki. I don't believe he intends to harm the village or anyone in it, but there's too much mystery surrounding him."

"Couldn't we just interrogate him?"

"No. He's just a kid, and besides based on what you've told me, it doesn't seem like we'll get anywhere with interrogations."

"I suppose that's true. He has knack for saying a lot without actually saying anything. What's more is he makes it hard for you to argue him."

"Exactly. However, I did get Ino to probe his mind for information while he was recovering in the hospital. They didn't find anything special about him."

"What did they find?" Konohamru inquired.

"That he came from another continent by ship. The ship capsized and he washed upon the shore and wandered into the village."

"Really? That's it? What about his parents, his home?" Konohamaru seemed worried.

"Nothing. We're assuming he has partial amnesia, hence why he can't remember those things."

"But he remembers his ship capsizing, and not his family? Seems suspicious."

"Not really, just tragic." Naruto paused. "We found him accommodations in the village as a refugee-of-war, and told the other villagers, that he's simply from another village."

"Makes sense. The people have become more open to immigrants from other villages over the continent, but they're still cautious at best of those from overseas."

"Exactly." Naruto understood the feeling of being treated like an outsider all too well. Mitsuki hadn't objected when Naruto told of this idea. _"It sounds logical."_ That was what Mitsuki had said with a smile upon his face. _No way was that smile a fake_. That was all Naruto needed for him to trust him.

Naruto got up out of chair and closed his laptop. "Well Konohamaru, time to call it a day, finally." Naruto said to the jonin.

"Perfect, Good night Lord Hokage." Konohamaru bowed respectfully and left the office. Naruto remained behind and looked out his window and went to the balcony. He gazed up at the hokage monument. The faces all the hokage to date had been carved into the mountain since the village's inception. They were all people he had fought alongside during the 4th great ninja war. Before, he'd always imagined his face upon the mountain beside theirs but he was still shocked on the day his predecessor had told his dream would come true. The village said had he had earned the title, but Naruto knew better. _It is not when you are hokage that you become acknowledged, but when you are acknowledged that you become hokage_. Those words spoken by Itachi Uchiha were ones he took to heart for the rest life. He knew the real reason he became hokage was because of his friends and their faith in him. Still, thinking of Itachi brought a pang of sadness to his heart. _Itachi, in another time you would've be hokage, and the greatest of them all_. Naruto left his office to finally return to his family.

* * *

The talisman's wooden surface was smooth and almost soothing to touch. It was flat and the size of hand. Both sides of the talisman had a picture etched in black ink. On one side, it showed the moon partially eclipsing the sun. On the other the sun was partially eclipsing the moon. Sasuke couldn't quite decipher its meaning. Only that he knew it had something to do with the threat coming forth. A threat that Kaguya Ootsutsuki needed to assemble a whole army. Her natural enemy. _I can't even begin to fathom what enemy could be so powerful, or how I will protect the ones I care about from it_.

It would only be a few more days and he'd be home with his wife and daughter. _This time to stay_. He got up from the tree that he'd stopped to nap under and decided to keep trudging forth.

* * *

Naruto walked into his house. He would normally announce his arrival, but knowing the late hour he decided not to. He heard the sound of bare feet on hardwood coming for him and before he knew he was caught in a warm embrace with his wife. "Hey Hinata." Naruto greeted.

"Welcome home." Hinata returned the greeting. She led him to the living where they both sat down on the couch next to each other. Naruto was glad to be home with his wife. A woman he couldn't fathom ever loving him. But he wouldn't complain. She'd given him everything he wanted. "So, did Boruto tell you how the test went." Naruto asked.

"Yes, he did. He was very happy and glad that Konohamru passed him and his team. Of course, I never had any doubts about him."

"Me neither. He's way above what we were at that age."

Hinata nodded in agreement. As much as Naruto enjoyed exaggerating his skills as a genin he knew that he and his wife were never as good as their kids at that age.

"He seems to have inherited his grandfather's potential." Hinata said.

"Hiashi?"

"No, _your_ father. Don't forget. Our children have blood of two hokage in them."

"Yeah, they do." Naruto said solemnly. "Despite that, neither of them has any desire to be hokage. Especially our first"

"Does that bother you?" His wife was worried.

"Of course not!" He quickly assured wife. "It's that Boruto seems resent the hokage. And me." Naruto grew somber. His son didn't seem to outright hate him but it was clear he held some hard feelings for him. Unfortunately, sometimes he felt that it justified, otherwise he would try harder to make his son understand.

"Our son doesn't resent you dear." His wife said snapping out his thoughts. "He resents the hokage title. The title that keeps his beloved father away from his family."

"That makes sense and all. But I'm still here."

"And at the same time you're not." Hinata explained. "Boruto always knows where you are and what you're doing. So it must be frustrating that he can't reach you despite that. Now that he's genin he'll be seeing you more often, but now you aren't just his father your his superior. That changes things."

Naruto looked down at his feet and clenched his hands. _I can't argue with what she says. It all makes sense, but it doesn't make it any easier_. "And how do you feel about me Hinata?" Naruto asked his love.

"I love you and I always will. I'm happy and glad that you achieved the dream that you've been chasing since childhood. You deserve it." Hinata paused. "But I'd be lying if I said that I'm fine with you not being able to spend as much time with us." Hinata's last comment caught Naruto off guard. _Even Hinata feels this way_.

"Don't worry Naruto." His wife assured him. "It'll pass. Besides bonds are formed with emotions. No matter how far apart we are, our bonds won't break." Hinata finished.

Naruto smiled with new found hope. C _ompletely honest and uncommonly kind. She's too good for me_. That was what Sakura had told him, and he wholeheartedly agreed. _For this woman to love me, she must either be a merciful goddess or a desperate fool_. He was glad it wasn't the latter.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Okay so I know things haven't been super interesting lately. I've mostly been setting up the team and dynamics between them and their families. I plan to continue developing these things, but I promise that next chapter we'll get to see some action. Please stay tuned. I'll try to have the next chapter (Sasuke's Return) up by next week.


	5. Chapter 5: Sasuke's Return

Sasuke wanted to go see and report to the hokage, but decided that this time he would prioritize his family. It was early in the morning, thus the streets weren't as bustling as usual. Store owners were getting ready to open up shop, people were out on their balconies embracing the morning air, and birds sang in every corner of the village. _This is perfect_.

He hesitated as he unlocked the door to his own house with the key Sakura had given during his first visit. He was surprised to find both is wife and daughter in the door way waiting for him, and before he knew it they both jumped on to him and literally knocked him of his feet. There was laughter, tears, kisses all over. _This is perfect_. After the three of them were back on their feet, the greetings began.

"Sasuke. We weren't expecting you so early!" Sakura exclaimed.

"And I didn't expect you to be up so early." Sasuke smiled back. "Hey Sarada, how have you been." He knelt down, closer to his daughter's height.

"I'm great now that you're here Dad!" She was as enthusiastic as her mother.

"Come on let's all go sit down, and talk." Sakura led the family to the living room. On the way she explained how neither she nor Sarada could sleep knowing that Sasuke would be home today. "The excitement was too much." She had said. _That explains why they're both still in their night clothes._

"Oh yeah." His daughter began. "Dad I'm a genin now, I'm officially a ninja of the leaf."

"That's my girl. I'm proud of you." Sasuke smiled at his daughter. His pride was actually so great that he didn't know how to express it. That was usually the case with is emotions.

"So what team are you on?" Sasuke asked.

"Team Konohamru." His daughter replied.

"As in Konohamru Sarutobi?"

His daughter nodded enthusiastically while Sasuke's heart sank. _Why did Naruto put that moron in charge of training Sarada?_ He didn't speak his thoughts out loud. He was indeed afraid that his wife would pummel him for speaking like that, and even more so he had no desire to hurt his daughter's feelings. Besides, Sasuke's disdain for the Sarutobi was based on personal feelings alone. He didn't particularly hate him, but he wasn't too fond of him either.

"Sarada, tell your father who else who is on your team." Sakura cut into his thoughts. She must have sensed his reaction to 'Konohamaru news'.

"Sure. Dad the other two on my team are Boruto and Mitsuki" Sarada smiled at her father.

"Boruto huh, as expected. Mitsuki's a surprise though." Sasuke stated.

"What do you mean Dad?" Sarada questioned.

"I'm curious too." Sakura added. Sasuke sighed.

"The seventh would naturally put our children together considering our history. But Mitsuki's the one I'm worried about."

"Why because he's an immigrant!?" His daughter exclaimed. Sakura looked worriedly at father and daughter.

"No not at all." Sasuke softly replied. "It's just…"

"Just what? You know, our team would never have passed our exam if it weren't for him! So don't treat him like an enemy!" Sarada had gotten out of her seat.

"Sarada mind your tone with you father." Sakura's voice was strict but calm.

"No it's alright. Besides I'm glad sticks up for her team." Sasuke said. "I'm sorry, about the way I acted."

"It okay. I'm sorry too." Sarada replied. Sasuke looked over at Sakura who seemed relieved that this conflict had resolved itself as fast as it did.

"Well, how about we go out to eat. My treat." Sasuke announced after moment of silence.

"You don't have to do that Sasuke, I can make something." Sakura said.

"Don't worry, I want to go out with my family anyway."

"Alright." Sakura relented. Sasuke could tell anyway, that she no desire to cook right now so he didn't make her. Sakura directed Sarada to get herself ready to head out, and their daughter had left the room.

Sakura gave Sasuke a dark look. He knew all too well what it was about. "Look, I'm sorry about how I spoke about Mitsuki. I didn't mean anything by it." Sasuke said.

"I know you didn't, but there's no reason to act like a _ninja_ when you're at home." His wife scolded.

"I know. I just haven't been home, or had much of family in long time, so I'm still getting used to it. I'm sorry."

"I understand." Sakura's voice softened. "Sarada's team gets along a lot better than our used to. I just don't want to give her any reason to doubt her teammates." Sakura finished. "I ought to get ready too." She smiled as he left. Sasuke sat back on the couch. His daughter's reaction was supposed to be expected. _She has her mother's hair-trigger temper_. He also knew that he could be overly cautious, as did his daughter. He still kept remembering how he'd mistaken his daughter for the enemy the first time they met. _Still have to make up for that one. Sarada must think the same thing_. He had regained his membership in the leaf, but he couldn't completely trust the village that wiped out his family. Though the village's current leadership made it easier to forgive, if only slightly. Thus, trusting Mitsuki became more difficult, especially since the hokage had refused to question the boy any further. _I suppose I've lost the right to question Naruto's decisions though_.

After a while Sarada had come down. "Where's Mom?" His daughter asked.

"She's upstairs getting ready." Sasuke replied. Sarada had come down wearing a red sleeveless qipao shirt with the Uchiha family crest on the back of it. He is wife had insisted that the three of them wear the crest, to signal the rebirth of the Uchiha clan. Sarada was also wearing her leaf ninja headband. Sasuke couldn't help but smile warmly at her.

"What is it Dad? Is there something on my face?" Sarada looked flustered as her face went red.

"No, No. It's just that, your headband looks good on you." Sasuke spat out, not sure what to say.

"Oh." Sarada blushed. "Thanks. I'm just you know glad to be ninja, so I just felt like I'd wear it today." Sarada explained. _The response I expected, perfect_. Sasuke decided that it was good thing she was as proud of being a ninja as she was. _Unlike myself, when I was her age_.

"Say, Dad." Sarada interrupted his thoughts. "Where's your headband?"

Sasuke was caught off guard by the question. "Well, you see-"

"I'm ready!" His wife's announcement had interrupted his answer. _Thank goodness_.

"Let's head out." Sakura led the family out of the home. Leaving Sarada's question unanswered for the time being. Sasuke wouldn't know how to answer the question without lying, something he didn't want to do to his daughter.

* * *

The wind in her face her as she leaped from branch to branch was something she was grateful for. Not because it was hot, but because she simply hadn't been on any real mission in a while. Hanabi Hyuga was a woman who never enjoyed sitting around doing nothing. She was a ninja of hidden leaf.

"Keep up!" She called out at her the two jonin behind her. Their pace hastily quickened, clearly fearing her wrath. She wanted to go alone, but the hokage had ordered two jonin two accompany her despite that. " _Can't leave my little sister-in-law alone in the woods now can I."_ Naruto had laughed after that. Hanabi wished he wouldn't do be so protective but knew that he simply cared for her. _Big sis Hinata's still too good for him though_. She never said such things out loud knowing her sister's love for the seventh hokage, and Hanabi had also grown fond of the man.

The trees began open up as the forest cleared. As she landed on the ground her heart sank, her nostrils filled with sent of decay, and burning heat struck her face. She found herself facing a ruined town, with flames still burning. She heard her two teammates land behind her. "What the hell is this?" One of them sounded scared.

"This is hell." The other one sounded the same.

"Quiet. Keep your guard up." Her voice was little more than a whisper. She was suddenly glad the she wasn't alone. They walked into the literal hell of a town, Hanabi, afraid of what she'll find. She activated her byakugan and began searching the area. She heard something crunch beneath her feet. _A skull._ It was charred black. "No survivors." She stated. Her two subordinates were whispering something indistinctly, likely regarding the horrors they were witnessing.

Hanabi couldn't tell whether they were walking on the streets of town or through what was once someone's home. Her byakugan could see no remaining traces of the enemy. Not even their chakra. "This didn't happen just recently, this must've happened weeks ago." Hanabi stated. "That is impossible." One of her subordinates exclaimed. "These fires shouldn't be burning for so long." The other added.

"My byakugan doesn't lie. The fires aside, it's clear that whatever happened here didn't happen recently. The smell isn't as bad as would be if it were fresh." She was sure about that much. Were it recent, the air would be far fouler than it was currently. Her two subordinates muttered in agreement. There was but one problem. _There is no chakra_. She should've been able to detect whose chakra had been here, for there was no way such damage could've been done without ninjutsu. _Especially these fires_.

"Let's report to the hokage." She addressed the two men behind her.

"Captain Hanabi?" The men question simultaneously.

"Our mission was simply to investigate what happened. All we've found is hell." She didn't wait for them to approve and began dialing the hokage's office, only to pick up static. _Damn it, there should be signal here_.

"Your phones and other communication devices won't work here." A grinning man stepped literally stepped from behind some ruins. _How did I not see him with my byakugan?_ He had bright golden hair, and purple eyes. He was dressed in casual white clothing with gold on his wrists and his ears, and was surprisingly youthful. The only thing that surprised her more was that the she wasn't seeing him with byakugan but her ordinary eyesight. "I've put up a barrier, preventing electromagnetic signals from passing in and out within its area." That golden haired man explained.

"There is no barrier. I would've seen it if there was one." Hanabi exclaimed

"Indeed the eyes of Hamura Ootsutsuki and his descendants allow you to see better than most, but as you can see, or rather can't see, there are those that can hide from the byakugan." The man kept smiling mockingly.

 _But how, if he's just concealing his chakra, I understand why I couldn't see him before, but now that he's in front me I should be able see his chakra network_. _Something's wrong._ Realization suddenly hit her as her jaw dropped.

"So you've figured it out." The golden-haired man seemed to have seen that look of realization upon her face. "I don't have chakra." His grin got wider.

"So I guess you're the one who destroyed this town." It wasn't a question.

"How'd you guess?" the man smiled at her.

"It's clear that whatever leveled this town wasn't an ordinary ninja. And now you've appeared in front of me, a man with no chakra. After that I just put two and two together." She nervously grinned at him, while his smile disappeared.

"You're partially correct. Your right in that ordinary ninja could never have done this, but have you considered that it wasn't a ninja at all?"

 _Not a ninja? Then what? He is clearly not a samurai._ "Why did you destroy this town?" Hanabi questioned.

"You're actually trying get answers from me?" His tone grew darker. "A descendant of the moon is actually trying to gain answers from me. HaHaHaHaHa! Well Miss. Unfortunately I have no desire to talk to you." The golden hair man laughed.

 _That was all I needed to hear. Eight Trigrams Air Palm!_ A shock wave cleared distance between them and sent the golden-haired man flying into the distance. "Retreat. I have no intention of trying to fight his guy." She called two her two subordinates who were sweating like pigs. They obeyed without hesitation. They had reached the forest and were flying through it in matter of seconds. _Since he had no chakra, there was no way I could gauge his power. But I still got an ominous feeling from him_. Hanabi and her two subordinates were side by side, as they fled from their unknown enemy. _We must return the leaf. Naruto needs to know about this._ She pulled out her phone to dial again, only to be met with the answering machine. _Where could that moron be now!_ She and her subordinates kept moving forward. Stopping was out of the question

Hanabi came to a dead halt, as in front of her, standing upside-down on a branch was the golden-haired. "Did you truly believe you'd get away from using an attack like that? I expected more from the sister of the Byakugan Princess." The man had a devilish grin on his face. _He knows Hinata? But how?_

"Captain Hanabi." One of her subordinates had stepped in front of her to face the man. "Please run."

"You don't honestly think I'll run and leave this to you."

"Yes we do captain." Her other subordinate had stepped up as well. "This man has no chakra, and therefore no chakra network for you attack. Please run." She looked at her two subordinates. She had assumed they were cowards, when Naruto assigned them. She had been almost offended that her brother-in-law would assign them to her. Now she was grateful for them, but still could not run. "You're right. I can't attack his chakra network, but I'm not completely useless. We will return home together." She proclaimed. She could not return home leaving her subordinates to die in her place.

Her two subordinates charged the man using firestyle jutsu. The spot where he was standing was completely ablaze, along with the tree. _Impressive. So Naruto didn't saddle me with losers._

"Is that all you can do?" A shock wave dispersed the attack. The golden-haired man stood on the ground, with area around his position sprinkled with flames from the attack. _How did he survive?_ Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of blood splattering. Her two subordinates been sliced half. Their corpses fell to the ground beneath them. "Now it's over." She heard the golden-haired man's voice directly behind her. Hanabi hopped away to another tree. Her opponent stood there with a sword that she didn't know he'd been carrying her. "You will pay for what you've done to my comrades!" Hanabi activated her byakugan, and prepared to fight. _I can't us my gentle fist on him directly, but I can still put up a fight._ She felt something hot in her abdominal area. She put her hand on her stomach and found it to be wet. _What is this?_ She was shocked to see that she was bleeding. Her head felt light. Suddenly pain spread throughout her body. As she knelt on the branch she was standing on. _When did he cut me?_ She wondered.

"Hanabi Hyuga." The man said with a straight face. "My swordsmanship allowed me to cut you so cleanly you didn't even realize it happened."

"What?" Her voice was hardly a whisper.

"Don't bother trying to speak, descendant of the moon. Consider your death a declaration of war against ninja. A war against humanity." Those were the last words she heard as he disappeared. _A powerful man with no chakra. A war against humanity. I'm sorry Naruto, Father, Big Sister. I couldn't even let you know of the danger to come._ She felt death sink in as she allowed her body to drop from the branch to blazing ground below.

* * *

"This hunk of scrap wood is all you found?" Naruto complained as he held up the talisman trying to make sense of it. Sasuke had eaten lunch before leaving to see the hokage. When he told his daughter as much, Sarada had been understanding, simply glad that her father was now home. Sasuke however was reluctant to leave his family at home, for work again. _Nonetheless this issue can't be ignored_. "I don't see what the big deal with this thing is Sasuke. There are partial eclipses on both sides. One opposite of the other." Naruto said

"I found this in one of the other dimensions. Given the Ootsutsuki clan's affinity for the moon, I looked into various, ancient ruins and pertaining to it. I found a ruined shrine hidden in the Land of Wind. It clearly wasn't hidden on purpose simply buried by the centuries of disuse. Anything that could've been of use in the shrine has been wiped out by the sand. So the next thing I did is I teleported to the desert dimension, to the same coordinates I was at in this one, and came to a similar ruined shrine. That's where I found this thing." He finished his story as he gestured to the talisman.

"Why'd you go to the desert dimension of all places?" Naruto questioned.

"It was simply the dimension that found to be most habitable out of all of them. It was natural that it was the first one I'd try."

"Of course. That makes sense." Naruto said. "So why'd you come back with this? It's not much, just a step in the right direction."

"Let explain it to you moron. The Ootsutsuki and thus Kaguya, have affinity for the moon. So the enemy she was raising an army no doubt has an affinity for the sun." Sasuke was getting annoyed by how slow Naruto was.

"Alright, I get it." Naruto was held up his hands trying to calm him down. "So why the partial eclipses?" Naruto showed both sides of the talisman.

"My guess is that it tells a story. On neither side does it show either celestial body completely eclipsing the other. That means that means that the battle the Ootsutsuki were fighting wasn't finished."

"So you I take it you didn't just come here without an idea of who the Ootsutsuki were fighting do you?"

Sasuke nodded. "Hm. I don't know who they are exactly but I know that they came from overseas. I traveled there to the island across from this continent discovered all kinds of ruins and shrines pertaining to the sun. They more numerous than the ones we have on our continent"

Naruto was clenching his fists of his desk. "Sasuke let's be honest with each other so we can save time and you can return to your family."

"You have a family to return to as well. Naruto." Sasuke growled out.

"That's none of your business." Naruto gritted his teeth. "You think Mitsuki might have some connection to this threat we're facing." Naruto's voice grew louder.

"That's right. One thing I've learned when fighting against the Ootsutsuki, it's that nothing is impossible. And one thing I've learned from my travels is that coincidence isn't as common as people like to think. You and I are prime examples." Sasuke finished.

Naruto didn't argue; something Sasuke was glad about. _It was no coincidence that I and this loser wound up as powerful as we did. And it's no coincidence that we chose the paths we did._ "Seventh hokage. Like you I don't believe that Mitsuki has ill intentions. But it's time we got some answers from him." Sasuke stated firmly. Naruto flinched at being called at his title. Sasuke knew that reminding him of his position always unnerved Naruto.

"Sasuke. The boy has partial amnesia. Medical ninjutsu can't recover lost memories." Naruto was calm again.

"My sharingan can see through whatever trauma has afflicted him. I will be do able what the medical ninjas can't, and the interrogation division can't." Sasuke said.

"Very well." Naruto sounded resigned. "You can use your sharingan to find answers in Mitsuki. But only after Team Konohamaru's first mission."

"Fair enou-. Wait Sarada's team is going on a mission? When?" Sasuke was surprised.

"Right after the weekend." Naruto was smiling now. "I decided to send them out of the village to carry out a mall errand for me. Seeing how catching cats around the village will be way too easy for them."

Sasuke was speechless. _My little girl out there with two idiot boys and that pervert Konohamru? Never._

"I know how you feel leaving your little girl with two idiot boys and that pervert Konohamaru, outside the village. But Konohamaru has matured over the years. And he'll keep Boruto and Mitsuki in line. So don't worry." Naruto was almost laughing now. Sasuke was flustered. _Damn. There's no way I can stop this I suppose._ Sasuke resigned himself, no longer complaining.

"Looks like mine and Sarada's roles have been reversed, huh." Sasuke smiled. Naruto laughed quietly at the irony. Sasuke couldn't help joining in. _My Sarada's first mission. I'm glad I made it home for this._ Sasuke turned to leave. He didn't bother saying anything further to Naruto. _I've said all I had to._ Sasuke had reached the door when heard Naruto speak behind him: "Sasuke."

"What is it Naruto?" Sasuke didn't turn to face him.

"It's been over 10 years since the 4th great ninja war. The world changed so much. Do you think that nature of the ninja has changed as well?" Naruto sounded melancholy.

"Naruto. This era is different from the one you and I grew up in. The era in which hatred was practically a religion. This era is dominated by love and cooperation. The ninja's place has changed indeed. But I believe that no matter what era, the ninja will always be those who endure." Sasuke exited the hokage's office to return to his family. He thought about how far he and Naruto had come since they were children. _Ninja are the ones who endure indeed. But we're still human Naruto. How much more can_ we _endure?_


	6. Chapter 6: First Mission

"Stay safe Boruto." Hinata hugged her son.

"Don't worry Mom." Boruto blurted. His parents and sister had insisted on coming to see Team Konohamru off. Though Boruto guessed his father was also here for professional reason. Sending genin out of the village for their first mission even under the supervision of a jonin was rather unorthodox. Boruto looked over at Sasuke Uchiha who along with Boruto, godmother Sakura, had come to see off their daughter. _This is the great Sasuke, Dad keeps talking about. The only one truly capable matching his strength_. He looked like an older more masculine version of Sarada. Their resemblance was almost uncanny. He had released his daughter from a warm embrace as Boruto's father began talking. "Well, Team Konohamaru, I suppose it's time to bid you adieu. Your mission as you all know is to simply provide security for the reconstruction of a town in the aftermath of a civil war. I know this is mission of higher ranking than would normally be given to a genin squad, but this is no ordinary genin squad either." Naruto grinned at the whole team.

"You can count on us Lord Hokage." Konohamru said.

"That's right Seventh. We'll do everything to show the strength of the leaf!" Sarada exclaimed beaming at the hokage.

"I know you will Sarada." Naruto beamed back.

 _Those two get along too well._ Boruto thought.

"Hey Boruto." His father's voice snapped Boruto out of his thoughts. "Good luck son. No matter what I'll always be proud of you." He patted Boruto's head.

"Yeah, yeah Dad. I know. You can just relax here." Boruto said. He had no desire to make his father think he couldn't handle this mission. _Security. This the best the old man could come up with?_ Still, he relished any chance to able to prove his worth as ninja. To be better than his father.

"Hey big brother." His little sister said. "Will you be home soon?"

"I hope so Himawari. You don't need to be sad. When I come back I'll play you as much as you want." Boruto reassured his little sister.

"Alright. Be great, okay?"

"Okay." Boruto embraced his sister. _That's right I have to get strong for her as well_.

. . .

The fire was small but bright. Sarada had been desperate to showcase her refined control over her father's firestyle jutsu, thus Konohamaru-sensei had allowed her to start the fire while the rest of them gathered firewood. Though he didn't show it, Boruto was genuinely impressed with how precise Sarada's control of the technique was. A narrow but powerful stream of flames flew from her mouth and on to the firewood. _Beautiful_. He thought.

Save for the pleasant flickering sound of the flames the night was silent. The team said nothing each lost in their own thoughts.

"Let's tell ghost stories!" Konohamaru-sensei's voice brought them all back to reality.

"Ghost stories? That's for little kids." Boruto complained.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with staying young." Konohamaru-sensei complained back. Boruto simply sighed. To him, his sensei seemed to have multiple personalities. He was child in this moment, a strict authoritative figure whenever Boruto pulled a prank, and an overpowered bad-ass in a fight.

"I have an idea." Mitsuki spoke up. "Maybe we should just tell each other more about ourselves. Knowing each other's history is never a bad a thing."

"Fair enough." Konohamaru-sensei relented. He was clearly still wanting to tell ghost stories. "So how about Boruto go first?"

"Why me?" Boruto complained again.

"Because you look like the one who hates this idea the most." Konohamaru-sensei said bluntly. Boruto sunk his head down.

"Fine." Boruto agreed reluctantly. "What do you guys want to hear?"

"Who do you have a crush on?" Mitsuki surprised Boruto.

"I-I don't have a crush on anyone!" Boruto stammered. He was blushing.

"C'mon Boruto, It's only natural that a boy your age should be into women." Konohamaru-sensei laughed.

"Yeah right. You want to know what's _unnatural_ sensei? A man your age being as perverted as you are." Boruto snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Mom told me how you were peeping on my Aunt Hanabi at the bathhouse." Boruto gave a mischievous smirk.

"Wh-What? I was never."

"I also heard how Aunt Hanabi pummeled the living crap out of you afterwards." Boruto was laughing now, While Konohamaru-sensei's face turned as red as a tomato and hung his head in shame and humiliation. Mitsuki had also joined in the laughter. _I hardly ever see that guy laugh_. Boruto was glad. "What about you Sarada? Anything interesting to talk about?" Boruto asked the kunoichi.

"Interesting? Like what you two talk about? As if." Sarada scoffed.

"So your Dad's back in town huh?" Boruto said. "What he like?" He was curious to learn about his Dad's friend. The man who rivaled the hokage in strength.

"Why do you want to know about my Dad?" Sarada seemed flustered.

"Just curious about the legendary last of the Uchiha." Boruto replied.

"I'm curious as well." Mitsuki put in.

"Fine." Sarada sighed. "Well first off he's not the last anymore, ever since I was born. Second. He's been away for really long time on an important mission. The first real meeting I had with him was a few weeks before the graduation exams. The seventh was going to go meet him and me and Chou-Chou snuck out following him. That was when I delivered that lunchbox to him for you."

"I remember that. So why did Chou-Chou go with you?" Boruto asked.

"She was looking for her real father."

"So Mr. Choji isn't her Dad?"

"Of course he is. She didn't think so at the time though."

"That's weird? Anyone can see the family resemblance." Boruto said.

"Actually it's pretty in common in girls of that-" Mitsuki began but was cut off by Sarada.

"Don't start that crap again." Sarada snapped.

"Alright." Mitsuki said calmly as he held up his hands. Sarada took a deep breath before beginning again.

"Well when I first met him, he held a sword to my throat, thinking I was the enemy."

"He what?! How can he not recognize his own daughter? You two look exactly the same." Boruto yelled as stood up.

"That's what I thought as well. But he was in a situation where he'd just been attacked by another sharingan user and I showed up with my sharingan activated, it must've riled him a bit." Sarada exhaled after finishing. "I still say he needs to make up for that, but after the whole fiasco with the weird sharingan users was finished, my Dad came back and stayed a few days before leaving again. In that short amount of time. I learned that he was actually very kind, soft-spoken, and protective. He treats me and my Mom with great respect and never seems to lose his temper. I learned that he loved me and my Mom more than anything." Sarada finished.

"And you're just okay with him leaving all the time?" Boruto gritted his teeth.

"Well, no, But he was away on an important mission." Sarada replied.

"So what? Is his mission more important than his family?" Boruto began raising his voice.

"The way I see it. Bonds are formed through emotions and feelings between people. So even when he's away we're still connected." Sarada was calm all the way through. Boruto guessed she understood his situation. Boruto sat back down. _So he's like my old man. Well at least he's back for good. Instead of being like my Dad._ Konohamaru-sensei was smiling all the way through her story. Boruto guessed that he was glad to know that despite everything Sarada and her father were as close as they were.

"Tell me Sarada." Mitsuki began. "Do you know why your father left the village?" Mitsuki asked of Sarada.

"I already said. He was away on a mission." Sarada replied.

"Ever since he was thirteen?"

"What? Of course not. What gave you that idea?"

"A recount of the veterans of the 4th great ninja war that I found in the library." Mitsuki replied.

"Where'd you find a book like that?" Konohamaru-sensei's voice was serious.

"In the restricted section of the main library." Mitsuki calmly replied.

"Is that right? Oh well, nothing we can do about it now." Konohamaru-sensei didn't seem like he wanted to let the matter go. He sounded like he actually wanted to scold Mitsuki.

"My thoughts exactly sensei." Mitsuki concurred. "Basically I found a lot regarding the histories of the veterans. Naruto Uzumaki's status as a jinchuriki and his desire to be hokage, Sasuke Uchiha being the second son of the head of the Leaf Village Police Force."

"Wait? Second son? That means he had an older brother. And I'm guessing he was killed in the massacre." Sarada sounded sad

"No he wasn't." Mitsuki replied.

"Wait he's still alive? My Uncle is still alive?"

"No he's not." Mitsuki was still calm. Boruto was surprised how Mitsuki was talking about Sarada's dead family members with such straight-face. He even would've lashed out were it not for him being interested in this story.

"But how did he die then? Why didn't my Dad tell me?" Sarada seemed like she was mostly talking to herself rather than to anyone else.

"This is going to come as shocker Sarada." Mitsuki's tone grew serious.

"Alright."

"Your Uncle, Itachi Uchiha, was slain by your father."

Everything fell silent. Boruto and Sarada's jaws dropped. Konohamaru-sensei didn't say a thing. He simply winced as if he'd been hit. _So Konohamaru-sensei knew about this_.

"What the hell are you talking about? What the hell is this?" Sarada's eyes began to water.

"Before anything more can be said, you need to understand that-"

"Itachi Uchiha was the one who wiped the clan. "Konohamaru-sensei interrupted. "Your father killed his brother yes. But his brother, your Uncle killed a countless number of his clansmen. Only your father was spared."

"Why?" Sarada was struggling to hold back tears.

"I don't know." Konohamaru-sensei said softly.

"Why didn't he tell me?!" Sarada yelled. "Why did he keep something like this from me?" Sarada wasn't talking to anyone in particular at this point. Boruto wished he could comfort her somehow.

"Maybe it's because he loves you so much that he didn't want to taint you with that darkness. Maybe he just wanted to allow his new family to live in the light, while he bore the darkness of his old family." Mitsuki said. Sarada wiped the tears from her eyes, as her frown began to straighten more.

"Yeah. He must've done it for a good reason. He must have." Sarada became calmer, as Konohamaru-sensei took a deep breath. He clearly had no idea what he was supposed to say.

"Well, I suppose that's probably enough for tonight. We should get to sleep. We're starting early tomorrow, so good night." At Konohamru sensei's announcement everyone crawled into their sleeping bags. Boruto still couldn't believe how much he'd learned about Sasuke Uchiha. How dark of past he's had and despite that he's still here taking care of his family. _That's better than Dad_. Boruto understood that Sasuke Uchiha was far from perfect as a father, but he made a real effort. _As opposed to the half-assed shadow clones Dad makes._ He was also surprised by how quickly Mitsuki calmed Sarada down. Boruto and Konohamaru-sensei had no idea what to say to her, but Mitsuki did. _How did get so good with words?_ He added that to the ever-growing list of things he wanted to learn about Mitsuki. That made him realized, that all he learned about Mitsuki tonight is that he snuck into the restricted section of the main library. _Which isn't much_.

. . .

The town was truly a mess. Windows were shattered, walls were toppled, and there were was still the scent of blood on the air. _Dad wasn't kidding_. This town had everything that would be expected of a town ravaged by civil war. Boruto didn't know how to feel, only that he partly wished he hadn't come here. "What were these people fighting over?" Boruto asked to break the silence over the team.

"From what I know." Konohamaru-sensei began. "This town was a melting pot for various cultures and religions. There were two factions that managed them. They didn't agree with each other on how to handle the town's population."

"I'm assuming that the disagreement between these two factions became violent." Sarada said.

"That's certainly what it led to. But I'm assuming there's more to it. Neither of the factions have had any problem with the multicultural population itself. Rather the issue was how the running of a town with such unique population." Konohamaru-sensei replied.

"I see." Mitsuki was definitely melancholy. Boruto knew that Mitsuki was an immigrant, thus he likely a culture different from that in the leaf. _Seeing people fight over how deal with people of different cultures must really hit home for him_. The team eventually came out to an area scattered with tents and people bustling back and forth. This was likely with the townspeople who'd lost their homes were staying for the time being. There was one large tent standing in the middle of the area. This was the tent Konohamaru-sensei led the team to. Inside were makeshift beds with patients lying them, and doctors jumping from patient to patient. Every patient was injured, ill, or both. All this reminded Boruto of his mother's description of the 4th great ninja war. _Injured people, sickness, bloody air, hopelessness. Sounds about right._ "You must be the leaf ninja the chief hired." A doctor had come up to them and shook hands with Konohamaru-sensei.

"That's correct. I am Konohamaru Sarutobi and these three are my students." Konohamru gestured to Boruto and teammates. The three of them respectfully bowed. "If I may ask, could you please show us to the chief?" Konohamru asked.

"Of course. Right this way." The doctor led them outside, towards many of the smaller tents surrounding the larger one. The doctor went back to the previous tent immediately afterwards. Inside this tent there was a small table behind which sat a rather young man. _This guy is the chief?_ He wore casual white clothing, and had a rather untidy mop of bright golden hair on his head. He turned up his head and spoke with smile on his face. "Thank you for coming. I am Haru, Haru Chinatsu. The chief of this town." He shook hands with Konohamaru-sensei.

"It's our job Chief Chinatsu." Konohamaru-sensei replied.

"Please call me Haru. Konohamaru Sarutobi."

"You know who I am?"

"Indeed. It seems your reputation proceeds you. The grandson of the third hokage is quite famous."

"It seems so." Konohamaru-sensei agreed. "But you needn't concern yourself with my reputation. It seems the priority should be to help your town." Konohamaru-sensei quickly cut to the chase.

"Yes, of course. Please sit." Haru gestured towards 4 chairs, while he himself remained standing. "As you can our little town has been through a lot, to say the least. I assume that you are aware of the general situation?"

"Yes. We are aware that this civil war began between two factions who could not agree on how best to handle this town's multicultural population."

"That's right. Unfortunately this goes deeper than that. You see, in reality the ideas between the factions wasn't so different. Both agreed that his town had become a melting pot. One faction: The Green Spear wanted to simply allow for the people to mingle amongst themselves, overcome their own differences. The other: The blue bow wanted to take a more active role in the people's lives. Such as having more police patrol the streets, in order to quell any sort of violence that could result between different cultures. As the chief, I needed both of these groups to come to an understanding. I had hoped that a compromise could be reached, both ideas seemed plausible so I proposed a mix between the two. Though both sides were reluctant they agreed, on the grounds that I take any responsibility for the failure of this system." Haru took a breath.

"So am I right to assume that this system failed?" Konohamaru-sensei asked.

"Not quite. The system worked almost flawlessly. I could see both the Spear and the Rose actually coming to terms with one another. However, one day I a member of the Green Spear came to office carrying the body of their master. He told me that he witnessed the master of Blue Rose stab him in chest directly."

"That's horrible." Sarada said.

"Yes it is. Both the masters were my friends. I could never imagine one killing the other. It was inconceivable. Needless to say I confronted the master of Blue Rose directly. He didn't deny the accusations, so I arrested him. That was the worst thing I could've done. The Green Spear you see wished to avenge their master, but his arrest had taken that chance from them. So instead they began attacking the individual members of Blue Rose, and Blue Rose fired back. Eventually the townspeople began picking sides. Both of the Spear and the Rose were popular amongst the people you see. Before long a civil war erupted."

"Hang on." Mitsuki interrupted Haru story. "How did these two groups gain the resources necessary for war?" Mitsuki asked.

"Because they were both guilds. You see ever since the end of the 4th great ninja war, various guilds began popping up all over the fire country, in response to the economic decline caused by the war. These guilds were formed by the common people who wanted nothing more than to make their homes a better place. These guilds began to gain fame for making an immediate difference, and eventually they began to gain political power. However, this resulted in guild wars. This was what happened in our town. Guild wars are usually stamped out by the official ruler of the land fairly soon, but sometimes it takes a little bit longer, that was happened here." Haru finished.

"A guild war? That's ridiculous. They wanted the same thing. Couldn't they see that?" Sarada's voice was barely a whisper.

"They saw it. But the Green Spear and Blue Rose had been rivals for years since their inceptions. They had come to our town to help rebuild it and re-establish order. Each had come with their own methods for doing so, and both methods worked effectively and we recovered from the aftermath of the 4th great ninja war thanks to them. However, since they had both gained favor amongst the townspeople, both guilds were able to remain here, I had no desire to make them leave since they were so helpful to the town." Haru paused. "The rivalry they had was personal, and they set their hate for each other aside for the sake of the town. In fact never had their rivalry grown violent in the past, they simply didn't agree with each other's tactics. I never foresaw a guild war happening in this town." Haru finished. He sounded almost regretful.

"That's is awful. To think that they would allow their anger to get to get the better of them." Konohamaru-sensei said. He almost sounded angry.

"Unfortunately, if it were something as simple as anger, I would never have called you here." Haru said.

"What do you mean?" Boruto said after finally being able to speak after hearing such a story.

"I've done some investigation of my own. I've discovered this whole thing was set-up." Haru grew serious.

"How so?" Konohamaru-sensei asked.

"It was said that the Blue Rose master murdered the Green Spear master, but a few days into the guild war. I discovered that the man I had arrested on account of the murdered had become someone different. It was transformation jutsu. This man told me that the real Blue Rose master had been dead for years and the he had taken his place as an imposter. Right after that he stabbed himself with a shiv and died. I was able to use this new information to quell the civil war along with militia forces of course." Haru took a deep breath. Boruto couldn't believe he was hearing this. A conspiracy in town such as this, but for what purpose?

"So we're not just as security for reconstruction, but to weed out the real perpetrators." Konohamaru-sensei said.

"Nope. You are indeed only here for security. I shall investigate this myself, while you keep everything quiet."

"I see. You want us to basically provide cover for your investigation. Keep the perpetrators' attention focused on us." Mitsuki said. He face had a look of what Boruto assumed was anger. _Never knew he could get angry_.

"I understand this is rather selfish of me to use you like this. I not going to pretend that I am doing right thing, I am simply choosing the least wrong option available to me. Which isn't saying much." Haru's voice grew solemn. _Least wrong option? That's stupid_. Boruto thought. This mission seemed like a sham to him, and Haru was growing less trustworthy by the minute.

"We understand Haru. I give my word that we will help you here. We will keep the townspeople safe during your investigation." Konohamaru-sensei announced. Sarada nodded in agreement. Mitsuki was expressionless as ever. Boruto didn't like this man bit. He couldn't believe they were being used like this. _We're ninja. Not your lap dogs._ But Boruto held his tongue.

"Thank you so much all of you." Haru said enthusiastically while sounding relieved. "Please follow me. Let find you some lodgings where you can stay. You begin your duties tomorrow. Thank you again."

Boruto relented as Haru led them out. As much as Boruto didn't enjoy being used, he was kept from voicing this opinion by the scent of blood that invaded his nostrils after they exited Haru's tent.


	7. Chapter 7: Guilt

Hanabi had been gone for too long. The mission he sent his younger sister-in-law on was to check on the town that was supposedly destroyed a week ago. _So why isn't she back yet?_ This wasn't like her at all. Someone like Hanabi should be able to handle this mission like a piece of cake _. Especially considering the two elite jonin_ _I sent as her subordinates_. Ever since Naruto had married into the Hyuga family, he was always treated with the utmost respect and sympathy but it took some time for him to be treated like a true member (Hinata's father was particularly difficult). Hinata's younger sister however, had always treated like him an older brother. They fought like siblings but always made up like siblings. Naruto had come to view as younger sister and thus, always felt like he had protect her like one. "Shikamaru, wake up." He called to his second-in-command who was asleep against the wall of the hokage office.

"Mm. What?" Shikamaru replied groggily.

"Would you mind getting a search party together for Hanabi and her team?" Naruto asked. He didn't like to order his friends around.

"Yeah sure. I'll get right on that." Shikamaru still sounded half-asleep. "You sent her to that investigate that destroyed town right?"

"That's right. She should've been back by now."

"If she didn't run into any trouble of course." Shikamaru said. "If she ran into the perpetrators that could explain the delay in her return."

"All the more reason to send a party to find her. She'll probably pull my ears for worrying about her. But I'd rather suffer that than Hinata's grief if something happens to her sister and I didn't do anything about it." Naruto finished. He knew all too well how much Hinata cared for her sister. If anything happened to her, Hinata would do anything to save her. _That woman really is too good for me_.

"Fair enough hokage. I'll get a party together to find her." Shikamaru announced.

"Thanks Shikamaru." Naruto replied. He could just the picture the annoyance on his sister-in-law's face for worrying about her.

* * *

The routine was quite simple. Team Konohamru would split into pairs to patrol the town. It wasn't a very large town but it wasn't so small that newcomers could not get lost. Boruto and Mitsuki were in one pair leaving Sarada with Konohamaru-sensei. She didn't complain. She new that her and Boruto would end fighting if left alone together, and that Boruto was most comfortable working with Mitsuki. The two pairs would patrol the town quelling any arguments getting overheated as well as acting as distraction for the conspirators mentioned by Haru. Thus, the second for splitting into pairs was to for any member of the team (particularly the genin) to avoid facing the enemy alone. They would patrol the streets for an hour after the bell to declare the work days end would toll and then they would return to the rather luxurious room Haru showed them.

Sarada and the sensei were walking through an area where Sarada guessed shops and restaurants once stood. She could tell by the random shelves and charred stoves littered on either side street. There were simply to many for this to be a residential area. "It's quite disheartening. Isn't Sarada?" Her sensei said, practically reading her mind.

"It's also ironic." Sarada replied. "The two guilds came here to aid this town in recovering from one war. As soon as that was accomplished those same guilds began another war." Sarada said.

"Yeah. Of course we have to remember that an outside is what instigated it." Konohamaru-sensei said.

"But the guilds already had a rivalry. An outside party began this civil war by playing on the feelings hate between the guilds."

"Very good." Konohamaru's reply slightly surprised Sarada. _Guess he was testing me_. "The hatred between guilds is what led to the war. But that's no surprise. Every war that's ever occurred in history, hatred had some role to play in it." Konohamaru-sensei explained.

"That's kinda' like what my Dad says." Sarada said.

"Is that right?" Konohamaru-sensei sounded surprised.

"Yeah. He said 'Hatred is something everyone learns to do the second they learn to love. However, you mustn't indulge that hate no matter how easy it may seem, because it leads to nothing but grief.'" Sarada finished.

"He really said that huh?" Konohamaru's tone was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Yeah. You sound surprised." She asked sharply but not rudely.

"No. Of course not. He just doesn't seem like the kind guy to have a way with words like that." He replied his tone becoming likable again.

"I suppose not. He usually is pretty quiet, so for him to say something so poetic came as surprise for me too." The two of them continued walking. It was the second day on the job and neither pair had anything to report. It was surprisingly calm given that they'd just gotten out of a civil war. She assumed it was because the war didn't last too long. She had heard that casualties were surprisingly low, despite the number of injured. She assumed it was because of the police set in place by Haru. Of course right now many of those police were busy aiding the chief's investigation thus, they had to call ninja for security. "Say Konohamaru-sensei." she called up to the jonin.

"What's up Sarada?" He replied.

"What do you remember about the 4th great ninja war?" She asked.

"Well I didn't actually participate in the war since I was just a genin at the time. So I'm not sure how much I can tell you."

"You can just tell me whatever know. I'd like to hear it from someone other than my mom who mostly talks about what she did, or from my dad who hardly says any thing at all about the war." She knew she'd get the runaround asking her parents. She wasn't sure why they didn't go into specifics, but guessed that they must have their reasons.

"Well alright. Most of chunin and jonin were sen out on duty during the war. And they all also got special headbands that said 'ninja' on them-" He continued talking about how he and his teammates took charge of the genin and set up village patrol and how he repelled a invasion of ruffians with his newly completed rasengan. Eventually he came to speak about the veterans' return.

"When everyone returned I was shocked by how many people had died. Most were people I didn't know, but considering how short the war was, the number of deceased frightened me. More than that though was that these were the people my grandpa lived and died and protect." Konohamaru had a hint of sadness in his voice.

"If you could, could you tell how my parents were after the war?" She asked.

"Well, your mom was said to have sustained injuries but given her skill with medical ninjutsu I only saw her with minor wounds. Your father on the other was missing his left arm, and the would-be seventh hokage was missing his right. It was a huge shock really." He explained.

"Do you know how exactly my dad lost his arm?"

"He lost it during the fighting." He sounded hesitant.

"I know that. But what were the exact circumstances? I mean I always heard my dad was a prodigy at my age. So his skills during the war had to be at least jonin level. For him to lose his arm like that, it would've taken someone of legendary power." She contemplated what enemy could've possibly taken her father's arm. Why didn't his father take vengeance for it either, like he did for his clan? "Come on sensei, you have to know." She pleaded.

"I'm sorry Sarada. I'm afraid your father will have explain the loss of his arm to you." He sounded both apologetic and regretful.

"And I'm afraid he may not tell me at all." Sarada was growing desperate.

"I'm afraid you just might be right."

"Then please tell me." Sarada tried to keep her tone as calm as possible. "You know what happened don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. But I still can't tell you. I'm truly sorry."

"Out of respect for my father?"

"No. Out of respect for you. It's a debt Sarada. This is something that must come directly from your father, it's something _your father_ owes you. I won't take that away from you." Konohamru finished. Sarada didn't know exactly what her sensei meant. _Something Dad owes me?_ Sarada couldn't begin to comprehend what could be so important and personal, that it couldn't come from anyone else. Had her father blown his own arm off so his pride depended on it? _That can't be it. Dad keeps secrets to protect me, not out of pride_. Could it be related her Uncle? _It does make the most sense_. Could it be connected to the reason the seventh lost an arm? All these questions flooded Sarada's brain. She thought she was going to drown in all these questions. Suddenly, she felt hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Sarada. No one's perfect including your father and the seventh. But one thing you must always remember no matter what is that your father loves you more than anything." Konohamaru-sensei's words were calm and sincere. Though it did little to ease the ocean of questions in her mind, it did make waiting for answers easier.

* * *

"-And that's how my sticky glue prank worked." Boruto finished telling his story as they patrolled the streets.

"I'm surprised the hokage nor Lady Hinata pummeled you afterwards." Mitsuki stated.

"Yeah, that was second best part of the whole thing. The best part was watching my dad trying to get the glue out of his hair." Boruto laughed. Mitsuki lightly chuckled alongside him. "Of course, mom grounded me right afterwards, but it was worth it." Boruto and Mitsuki's laughter began to die out.

"So, what did the seventh do afterwards?" Mitsuki questioned.

"My dad? Well, I thought he was gonna add a few more weeks on to my grounding, but after my mom left he scolded me about how immature and stupid it was to pull all the time, and also about what poorly thought out my prank was. That I could do better than that."

"That's interesting. You and your Dad do have a special connection don't you?"

"Well, we were better connected before he became hokage. Now we just don't think on the same wavelength anymore." Boruto was slightly depressed.

"Of course now that you're a genin you'll get to see him more." Mitsuki said.

"Yeah, but not as father and son, but as superior and subordinate. That's not the kind relationship I want." Boruto finished. He honestly wasn't sure what kind of relationship he wanted anymore, he wanted his dad. "Let's talk about something else." Boruto announced.

"Like what?" Mitsuki replied.

"Well I don't know. Say I never got to hear much about your parents."

"You didn't?" Mitsuki reply slightly annoyed Boruto.

"Of course not. You always give me the runaround when I ask you about them. I understand if it' too painful to talk about it, but you can at least tell me that much." Boruto waited for Mitsuki's response as his eyes shifted between both sides of streets. Both sides that were being reconstructed both by hired workers and the townspeople.

"Alright." Mitsuki finally began. _The moment of truth is here_. "My mother died when I very young you see. There was an accident." Mitsuki usually casual tone sounded slightly lamentful.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What about your father?"

He's still alive, but I haven't seen him years."

"Why's that? He out on a job or something?"

"Nope. I simply choose not to have anything do with him." Mitsuki's tone became casual again. Boruto was caught of guard by it. _He simply chose not live with is dad after his mom died?_ Boruto couldn't swallow that. It was nonsense. Boruto wanted to snap at Mitsuki but Mitsuki spoke up first, "it's not like hate him or anything. In fact I'm actually quite fond of him. But it seemed logical that he and I go our separate ways."

"That makes no sense. You're father and son. What does your dad do anyway?" Boruto was learning about his friend's family for the first time. He wanted to know more.

"I suppose you can call him doctor, but it's not like he works out of a clinic or anything."

"Then what kind of a doctor is he?"

"A rather effective one. He uses rather unorthodox procedures, but their impressive nonetheless." Mitsuki sounded as casual as ever. Boruto began to think that something wasn't right with all this.

"Where did he learn to be a doctor?" Boruto questioned.

"I heard he taught himself, when he used be ninja." Boruto replied.

"Your dad _was_ a ninja? Why isn't he one anymore?"

"He chose not to be one anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean." Boruto was getting annoyed by Mitsuki's answers. He couldn't understand how he could treat such matters so casually

"Exactly that. He decided being a ninja no longer interested him so he left his village."

"He just up and left? You can do that? What do you mean it no longer interested him?"

"Yes, yes, and he wanted to do something other be a ninja for a village." Mitsuki answered all three of Boruto's questions in a single sentence. _Efficient as ever huh, Mitsuki?_

"Alright so how good of a ninja was your dad?" Boruto decided Mitsuki could at least tell him this much.

"A very good ninja. He still trains as a ninja but doesn't usually fight much. If you want an estimate of his power, I would say, he's at least as powerful as a kage." Mitsuki was still causal while Boruto's jaw dropped.

"Wait you're kidding right?" Boruto stammered. "That's just- how?."

"I know it sounds boastful. But I'm not lying, you'd be able to feel his overwhelming power just by standing in his presence." Mitsuki didn't sound like he was lying. In fact he never lied, he simply doesn't always tell the whole truth.

"What do you mean he's at least as powerful as a kage? Isn't that the highest ranking?" Boruto questioned. He wanted to know more of what this ninja's supposed power was like.

"By 'a kage' I was referring to it a singular sense. In truth his full power would allow him to compete effectively with multiple kage." Mitsuki explained. "But don't misunderstand. He as access to countless ninja abilities and his sheer chakra prowess is overwhelming, but it's his intelligence that really allows him to be as dangerous as he is." Mitsuki finished. There was a pause. Boruto was astonished. Every member of Team Konohamaru had the blood of kage-level ninja flowing through them. He wondered if his own father knew of Mitsuki's parentage. He would have to know about a ninja as powerful as Mitsuki just described. He was still puzzled by why someone of such power would stop being a ninja, but realized that Mitsuki would tell him that he chose not to be a ninja anymore. That was almost incomprehensible to Boruto.

Boruto heard a scream behind. He and Mitsuki turned to see three workers bleeding on the ground and a man in dark hood fleeing from the scene by running along the walls. _A ninja_. "C'mon Mitsuki. Let's catch this guy." Boruto called out to his friend, Mitsuki put a hand on his shoulder,

"you help the workers, I'll take the guy in the hood." Mitsuki said to him.

"No way. This is our job remember. The doctors will take care of 'em." Sure enough there three doctors already on the team. Mitsuki simply sighed, in what Boruto guessed (or hoped) was resignation as they gave chase to the man in the hood. _This is my chance to show my stuff_. He and Mitsuki threw several shuriken at their quarry only for him to knock their shuriken out of the air with several of his. _All right, I get to go all out. Shadow Clone Jutsu!_ Three Borutos instantly appeared. The dark hooded jumped to the ground and got into a fighting stance. Boruto and his launched themselves at the enemy. All of them were swiftly blown back by a series of impressive kicks. Boruto grunted as got back on his feet. He realized this man would not be easy to beat. Mitsuki landed beside him. "You alright Boruto?" Mitsuki asked concerned.

"Yeah. Let's just take this bastard down!" Boruto said it like battle. St that, Mitsuki sent a sharp jet of water from his mouth at the man in the hood. Their enemy held out his hand which met Mitsuki attack head on, and after some struggling Mitsuki's jutsu vanished. Boruto and Mitsuki's jaws dropped. It's wasn't dispersed or else there would be water droplets all over the place. Nor did his attack evaporate or there would be steam. _It just vanished_. The man in the hood withdrew his hand and as he did so, he grunted as his arm was in pain. "Impressive boy." Their enemy spoke up, "You're quite skilled for your age. but I didn't come here for you, I came here for Boruto Uzumaki." Their enemy finished.

"And what the hell do you want with me?" Boruto asked, very confused.

"Well nothing anymore, anyway. From our brief exchange, it's clear you won't do so I'm out of here now." The hooded man replied.

"Hold it!" Mitsuki called out. The hooded man ignored Boruto's friend and disappeared in puff of smoke.

"What was that?" Boruto asked no one in particular.

"No doubt one of the conspirators behind the guild war. We should probably go report this to Konohamaru-sensei. WE should also go checked on the injured we left behind." There was a certain sharpness sentence. Boruto guessed Mitsuki wasn't happy about chasing after this man, instead of helping the injured workers. Boruto did feel guilty about leaving the workers behind as did Mitsuki now that the fight was over. "Say Mitsuki." Boruto called to his friend that began to walk away.

"Yeah?" Mitsuki replied back.

"I'm sorry." Boruto wasn't sure what else to say.

"I understand Boruto. But I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to." Mitsuki spoke in a matter-of-fact manner. Boruto guessed that Mitsuki had dropped the anger over their situation quite quickly. _He always did say holding a grudge was too strenuous for him_. Boruto envied his friend for his ability to stay calm in most situations. His mind quickly went to the possibilities of what Konohamaru-sensei would say to him.

. . .

"Are you proud of yourself?" Konohamaru-sensei's tone wasn't loud nor angry. He seemed genuinely curious as to what Boruto's line of thinking was. Boruto however, simply stared at his feet, not sure what to say. "Boruto, one of the men died from his injuries, one will never walk again, and one will need to eat through a straw." Konohamaru-sensei sounded more sad than anything. "Honestly, I'm not sure how much of a difference you could've made had you stayed by their side. But we'll never know now will we. If you could've saved them or not." Boruto didn't say anything back. He couldn't. "And Mitsuki." The sensei said as he turned to his white-haired student. "I'm surprised you ran with Boruto. I figure that you would've thought of staying behind. Care to tell what you analysis of the situation was?"

"Wait sensei it wasn't his-"

"I was talking to Mitsuki." Konohamaru-sensei said cutting Boruto off.

"It's okay Boruto." Mitsuki began calm as ever. "I was thinking that Boruto going after the assailant was dangerous so I accompanied unsure of what I could've done for the injured workers. I realize it wasn't the best decision but it was all that came to me." Mitsuki finished.

"Well, if nothing else you could've helped carry them to a place where they could get medication. Or you could've applied first-aid on the spot."

"I understand sensei."

"I know you do. Now Boruto, we came tot his town as security, not hitmen. Haru himself stated that he doesn't want us pursuing these attackers." He said to Boruto with an almost father-like sternness.

"Maybe not. But more people will keep getting hurt if we don't catch these guys." Boruto said, trying to rationalize his actions now.

"I don't disagree with you, but leaving injured civilians, is simply counter-productive. WE should be saving lives that are currently in danger instead of lives that aren't even in danger yet." Konohamaru-sensei said. Boruto was glad he didn't use the rules scold him.

Boruto opened his mouth to say something back but Mitsuki's hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned to the sensei's side and only just noticed Sarada standing there looking more sad than anything. _What happened to her?_ Boruto guessed it wasn't his business. The sensei sided then spoke again. "We are going to go and apologize to the families of the attacked men. All of us."

"Wait sensei, Me and Boruto should be the ones to go." Mitsuki spoke up _._

"That would be most appropriate, but as a team we inadvertently end up sharing in each other's failures. I suppose it's only fitting if we own up to them like a team." The sensei explained.

Boruto was glad he and Mitsuki wouldn't have to face them alone.

"However, you two will be doing most of the talking." Konohamaru-sensei's announcement made him quiver to his bones. "We will discuss the assailant you two faced with Haru afterwards when he returns from his investigation."

"Wait is that why we're not talking about it right away?" Boruto asked his voice having regained it's usual energy.

"I'm afraid so. The truth is, as ninja we need to embrace are mistakes and their consequences in order to overcome them, but you simply cannot atone for everything. I simply thought we should go and apologize this time we all know the full effects of the mistakes we make." The sensei's statement surprised him. Shouldn't they own up to mistakes every time you make one? Should you try to atone for what you've done? These were things that Boruto thought should be obvious, but he guessed his sensei was doing this to teach his new team a lesson about making mistakes as ninja.

. . .

It was the most depressing experience ever. The first family was on the of man who died. They were generally forgiving but Boruto could tell that there was much more they wanted to say. The family of the man who would never walk again, simply desired vengeance for what had been done. Boruto couldn't tell if they meant the man's assailant or the two Boruto and Mitsuki. The last family the man who would no have to eat through a straw were the most resentful. They didn't hold back in their hate. Boruto couldn't say anything the entire time experience, except apologize his heart out. Mitsuki and Konohamaru-sensei formally apologized and offered their condolences, but it was clear that they were as clueless as Boruto when it came to giving a heartfelt apology. Mitsuki in particular had an air about him that was giving off the expression that this whole venture was extraneous to him. Boruto didn't understand why Mitsuki would feel that way, since he had been the most vocal about remaining behind to help them. Perhaps he'd come to term with their failure easier than Boruto. It didn't matter though since no matter how they felt it would not change those three would feel.

They entered Haru's tent and immediately spoke to him about the assailant. "A man in dark hood huh?" Haru said after Mitsuki had described the man. Boruto wasn't able to speak.

"That's correct sir. He appeared to be ninja given his skills. But most interesting was his ability to completely nullify my ninjutsu with his bare hands. Though it did seem strain him a little. " Mitsuki explained.

"I see. so we really are dealing with some troublesome foes it seems. What do you make of this Konohamaru?" Haru said addressing their sensei.

"Well I'm certainly curious about this man's ability. If he had simply blacked it with is hand I'd understand, but the doesn't seem to be the case. According to what Mitsuki described his attack hadn't been blocked but truly nullified to nothingness." Konohamaru-sensei explained.

"I'm sorry to have had to put in danger like this." Haru's comment angered Boruto. Why was worried about them when he should be concerned to his workers who were attacked? "In my investigation, I found a secret bunker underground containing several of this dark hood that match your description. Of course I find it hard to believe that we found him with our skill. I believe it was left there on purpose. Leading us on towards something." Haru explained.

"May I make a suggestion Haru?" Konohamaru-sensei.

"Of course. Any suggestion from you would be taken into deep consideration." Haru replied courteously.

"I believe I should take my genin team back early. And in exchange I will send an elite squad of chunin and jonin to this town in our place. Judging by this man's abilities, it is not an enemy to battled by a genin squad."

"I'll take you word for it, and thank you for your service. I will have your pay ready in just a moment." Haru pulled out a checkbook scribbled something down and handed it to Konohamaru-sensei who seemed surprised at the reward.

"This is a handsome amount of cash your giving us for staying for only two days."

"The little help that you've given us made a huge difference. Now we're one step closer to solving this mystery. So thank you all."

"Don't mention it." Konohamaru-sensei replied. "We'll be on our way then. Good luck."

"And to you as well." Haru said. With that Team Konohamaru took their leave of the young golden-haired chief. Boruto feeling guiltier than ever. _All that guy was concerned about was his stupid investigation. Doesn't he care about his own people_. Though Boruto quickly realized he had no right to be feeling that way. He turned to look at Sarada who'd been quiet the whole. He guessed that she had something important on her mind. Mitsuki seemed to be as nonchalant as ever. As if the events of their brief stay in the town had little effect on him. Boruto realized he was the only left with any guilt. _Why doesn't any one else feel guilty?_ He followed his team back to their lodgings to pack their things and return home. Maybe seeing his own family would help to ease his mind.


	8. Chapter 8: Grief

He dodged the log coming at him from behind and the one coming at him from the front at the same time. He dodged two more from the front. "Haru." He heard a voice call. He immediately stopped, ducked and cleared the vicinity of the logs that still swinging back and forth and removed his blindfold. He smiled as he saw his dark hooded subordinate before him.

"So it's you Jet." Haru smiled at him. "I heard about your run in with our friends from the leaf. Did you really have to attack three guys to grab their attention?" He asked, still smiling.

"I just thought that it would be more dramatic than just appearing in front of them then attacking." Jet replied. Haru was amused by his response. _Of course that's what you were thinking_.

"You watch way too many horror movies Jet."

"That's rich coming from you."

"What do you mean?"

"You set a whole town ablaze and killed the byakugan princess's sister all to send a message Haru. What? Mail wasn't an option?"

"Well I don't see why we can't cut loose every now and then."

"You always stress the importance of discretion Haru so I'm guessing you didn't do all that for fun." Jet voice had become serious. Haru decided he should get seiorus as well as he fixed the gold on his wrists and ears.

"You're right, discretion is important, but as you've seen this era has become too quiet, too peaceful, too boring. It's time to shake things up, don't you think so?" Haru said turning to Jet. It was rhetorical. Everyone in the Black Sun, was sensing the ripe time to make their move. "Tell me Jet, what do you think Boruto Uzumaki?" Haru asked in a serious tone.

"A prodigy for sure, but useless to us." Jet replied bluntly.

"So, he doesn't have his mother's byakugan, which leaves Himawari Uzumaki."

"The hokage's daughter, the one who's barely an academy student, the one always under the careful watch of her parents?"

"You sound scared Jet."

"Hardly. The thought of facing the seventh hokage and the byakugan princess actually sounds like fun." Jet had a malicious grin on his face. Haru knew Jet relished the chance to kill powerful ninja even if he knew he wasn't powerful enough to do so. "So you what do you plan to do about this town you've playing with?" Jet asked.

"We'll burn this place too." Haru replied.

"Haru Chinatsu. Is burning really the only way for you to destroy this place?"

"There are dozens of other ways I can destroy this town, but burning seems to be the most prudent way to do so." Haru paused, closed his eyes and thought about this town he'd been chief of for five years.

"You've been babysitting this place for five years and you feel no attachment to it?" Jet sounded slightly sarcastic.

"Don't insult me." Haru replied jokingly. "Of course I'm not attached to it. It doesn't matter if I was chief for five years or five- _hundred_ years." Everything up till now had been for his mission. He had no time to be attached to any place or anyone.

"You really turned this place on its head Haru." Jet stated. "By just transforming into the Blue Rose Master once and with just one kill, you were able to plunge this town into civil war." Jet sounded truly impressed.

"It doesn't take much to start a war between two factions who hate each other."

"True enough, but what I don't understand is why didn't the real Blue Rose master deny anything?"

"I told him was I was holding his daughter hostage. The truth was I'd already killed her. See, I had no time to be holding real hostage, so I figured just saying I was would be enough." Haru continued. "After that I killed the Blue Rose master anyway, and conjured a tale about how it was someone else who'd transformed into the Blue Rose after killing and took his place."

"And then created the story of of how that man was part of greater conspiracy, after he supposedly committed suicide. You created an imaginary enemy."

"That is the best way to unite people and stop conflict, give people a common enemy to fear and hate. A devil, real or not, is what will unite people."

"At least until they figure out it's a lie of course."

"These people will be dead before that." Haru sighed. "I went to all that trouble and Boruto Uzumaki turned out to be a failure. But like I said, there's still Himawari Uzumaki." Haru tuned to face Jet whose hood was down revealing his long brown hair. "Come Jet let's blow this dump. Literally."

* * *

Sarada walked beside her teammates as they to re-entered the leaf village. She would never forget the events of their first mission, she would never forget the faces of the families they apologized to. Sarada understood the reason Boruto wanted to pursue the attacker. He wanted to prove his strength to be greater his father the hokage, just like herself. Perhaps, she to would've made the same decision were she in her friend's place, had she not seen the reactions of the families. This made her want to see her own family even more. _Besides, I still have questions to ask them_. Konohamaru-sensei led them towards the hokage office. The team was silent the whole way. Sarada guessed that they had their own thoughts about the mission as well.

When they entered the hokage office Sarada was surprised to find the hokage gone and rather his right-hand man Shikamaru Nara there in his place. "Ah Team Konohamaru, your back surprisingly early. The construction finished?" Shikamaru said to them in normal lazy tone.

"Not quite. The chief, Haru Chinatsu simply sent us back, but gave he gave us the full pay." Konohamaru-sensei replied.

"Is that right? Awfully generous isn't he?"

"I suppose so. So where's-"

"Where's my dad?" Boruto cut off Konohamaru-sensei.

"He went home early today." Shikamaru replied.

"What are you talking about? It's the middle of the day. He never goes home this early." Boruto sounded surprised.

"Well today he decided to do so."

"He can do that, huh?" Boruto sounded disappointed. Sarada guessed that he was wondering why the hokage wasn't home so early everyday. In fact she was wondering the same thing herself. Why spend so much time away from home when you can go back when you want?

"Boruto." Shikamaru's tone became solemn with hint of sadness on it.

"What is it?" Boruto replied.

Shikamaru hesitated as if he there was something he didn't want to tell Boruto. "Never mind. Well, you three can return home. Konohamaru, you stay here and give me the details of your mission. I'll have your mission wages sent to your homes by tomorrow." Shikamaru announced. Sarada, Mitsuki, and Boruto took their leave. "I wonder what he was going to tell me." Boruto said.

"Well judging by his tone." Mitsuki began, "it was either something that he realized was unimportant or something he was afraid to tell you."

"What do you mean afraid?" Boruto asked.

"I have my guesses, but I suppose if it was indeed something important you'll find out sooner or later." Mitsuki crossed his hands behind his head.

"Well I'm gonna head home and ask my dad about it." Boruto announced.

"I've got something I need to ask my dad too." Sarada said.

"What's that?" Mitsuki and Boruto asked in unison.

"Just some stuff about my clan."

"Oh." It was clear that Mitsuki and Boruto understood that they should not pursue this topic any further. _I'm glad they understand_.

Before Sarada realized it, all three of them separated along the way. She remembered the good-byes but couldn't remember exactly when. She supposed her mind was on her father the entire time. When she finally approached her doorstep she took deep breath then opened the door. "I'm home!" Sarada announced. She saw her pink-haired mother run towards her. "Sarada!" Her mother gave her a tight but controlled hug. _Glad she didn't crush this time._ "We received a call for the hokage that you were home early. What happened?" her mother questioned.

"She can tell us later. For now let's just be happy she's home." She heard her father's voice as he walked up to her and gave a warm hug. "This time it's my turn to welcome you home Sarada." He said warmly.

"Yeah I guess so." Sarada giggled. "Dad can we go sit down? There's something we need to talk about."

"Alright, sure." Her father sounded confused. Sarada led her parent to the living and sat down with them after setting down her bag.

"Alright Sarada what did you want to talk about?" Her father asked nicely.

"Itachi Uchiha." Sarada didn't want to beat around the bush for this one. She would not get the runaround this time.

Her parents shared a shocked expression. Her mother looked almost frightened; her father did look frightened.

"How do you know that name?" Her father stammered out.

"We were talking during our mission and we began talking about him. I heard a lot but I'd like to hear what you have to say." Sarada tried to stay as calm as possible. She could tell by the expression on her father's face that this was something he hadn't hoped to talk about.

As her father was about to speak her mother spoke up first. "Sarada listen-."

She was cut off by her father. "It's okay Sakura, we can't have avoided this topic forever and now I suppose there's no point waiting any longer now that she's heard the name." Her father took a deep breath before beginning. "Sarada, Itachi Uchiha was my elder brother. He was your uncle."

"I heard that. I also heard that he's dead. Can you tell me why?" Sarada didn't want to mention the things she heard. This had to come from her father.

"I killed him." Her father looked like he'd stabbed himself as spoke. Her mother turned her face as if she was in pain.

"Why?" It was all Sarada could do to keep from yelling.

"It was for revenge. You see, my brother was the one who slaughtered the old Uchiha clan."

 _So it's true._ "So did you kill him for revenge?"

"Yes. I killed him for revenge." Sarada could tell her father was struggling against all hope to look her in the eye.

Sarada took a deep breath. "When did this happen?"

"Why do yo want to know that?" Her father did sound truly scared.

"Please. Answer my question." Sarada did her best to keep calm.

"It happened when I was 16."

"That young? So I'm guessing it was during the war."

"No it was before then."

"What? Like was it was a mission for the village?"

"No." Her father stammered. "I'd left the village of my own accord to do it."

Sarada felt like there was an ocean raging in her stomach. _So it's true_. "So I'm guessing that's why you were gone for three years when you were a genin wasn't it?"

Her father said nothing.

"Am I right Dad?"

"Yes." He replied, barely a whisper. "I abandoned the village and everyone in it for three years, to pursue my revenge."

Sarada was struggling to hold back her anger. "So you walked away on all your friends to go kill your brother. You became a rogue ninja. Are you some kind of criminal?" Sarada spoke up. "Answer me Dad! What did you do to get your revenge? How many people did you ki-" She was cut off after she realized her father had his sharingan activated. The second she looked into it, everything around her began to change. _He's pulling me into his genjutsu_.

She was standing in the village at night. She saw a young pink-haired with tears in her eyes pleading to black haired a boy who had his back towards her. "Please Sasuke take with you!" The girl cried. She couldn't believe it that boy was her father on the night he left the village. "Your still annoying." The boy Sasuke said with a smirk and before Sarada realized he had appeared behind the pink haired girl. "Sakura, thank you for everything." Sasuke sounded sincere. Immediately afterwards she knocked the girl, her young mother out cold. _Dad, how could you?_ Later she bore witness to Sasuke leaving with four ninja from the sound village, they giving him some sort of pill that knocked him out.

Next thing she new she was at a valley. On either end of stood two great statues one was of the first hokage, the other she didn't recognize. On top of the statues stood two figures facing eachother. On one stood Sasuke, and on the other stood a boy dressed in orange with blonde hair and three whisker markings on each cheek. _That has got to be the seventh hokage, Naruto Uzumaki as a genin_.

"My days, of playing ninja with you kids in the leaf are over." Sasuke spoke. Sarada was appalled at the words that escaped his mouth. It was clear that Naruto felt that same way as Sarada because he immediately launched himself at Sasuke and punched him square in the face. "Are you telling me you comrades mean nothing to you?!" The genin Naruto called out.

"None of that matters now. I'm going to where Orochimaru is. He will help me get my revenge."

"Are you crazy? He only wants to take your body!"

"I will gladly give my body to him if it means I an have my revenge." Sasuke immediately punched Naruto away. What followed afterwards was a brutal fight between to the two genin. That resulted in her father's victory. Sarada couldn't believe what she was seeing. She always wondered what the hokage and her father were like as children but this changed her mind. Sasuke stood over Naruto and looked like he was about to kill him. "Dad don't!" She called out. As if Sasuke had heard her, he walked away with a sad look in his eyes.

The next vision had skipped ahead to her seeing her father, Naruto, and her mother all a bit older meeting again at what looked like was Orochimaru's hideout. Her friend Inojin's father was also present along with a younger Captain Yamato. She saw her young father defeat all four of them. He was stopped short of killing them by Orochimaru. The next vision was his defection from Orochimaru and the formation of his personal four-man cell, Hebi. She had this roster before. _So this is how you met them Dad_. She witnessed her 16-year old father defeat a man called Deidara from the Akatsuki. Later she saw her father in large building secluded in the forest confronting another man who resembled greatly who also possessed a sharingan. There was no doubt that this other man was Itachi Uchiha. The battle between her young father and uncle was even more brutal than the one her father had with Naruto Uzumaki. The building was destroyed by Sasuke's technique, Kirin. Her Uncle Itachi however utilized the chakra avatar Susanoo, a technique she'd seen her father use. She was sure that Sasuke was done for only for Itachi to poke his little brother in the forehead and then dropped on the ground, lifeless. Shortly afterwards Sasuke collapsed as well. The sheer power demonstrated by her father at this age made her quiver about how powerful he would be in the present. She wondered if it was over, if her father would return to the leaf now, but she wasn't so lucky. The next vision showed her father being told by the masked man Tobi about the truth behind Itachi Uchiha. How the village elders had ordered Itachi to murder his clansmen who'd threatened a coup d'état. Sarada had always been led to believe her clan was very important to the village. That they were the most powerful and losing them was both a military and personal blow to them. Now she knew that she'd been lied to her whole life. She was even more shocked to learn that one of the elders, Danzo threatened the life of young Sasuke should Itachi not go through with the mission. Though Itachi spared Sasuke so he could one day receive judgement by his brother's hand. He led his little brother to believe he was his enemy so he'd be driven to kill him and become a hero of the leaf. When she saw the look upon Sasuke's face, she guessed that she must've been wearing the same look. A look of pain, regret, sorrow, and anger. _Now he has to go back to the leaf. After all, that what Uncle Itachi wanted for him_. Her vision now took her to a cliff side where Sasuke stood with his members of Hebi. "We are now Taka." Sasuke declared. "And our new mission is to destroy the leaf village!" Sasuke's announcement stabbed Sarada's heart. She now understood just how deep the hatred was in he father. It was almost he didn't want happiness. He simply wanted to destroy the world that had take so much from him.

The newly renamed Taka no engaged the eight-tails jinchuriki, the five kage, and Sasuke engaged the sixth homage-candidate Danzo personally and killed him. Each battle Sarada witnessed Sasuke's power, malice, and anger growing. It reached it's peak in his battle with the original Team Kakashi in which Sasuke horrified Sarada, by truly trying to kill Sakura. Despite this however, Naruto still plead with Sasuke to change his ways, and kept calling him his friend. Sarada couldn't comprehend the future hokage's actions. Why would he consider forgiving Sasuke after how far he has fallen?

Her vision now changed to one of Sasuke reuniting with his reanimated older brother. This had to have been the fourth great ninja war; she'd heard how countless deceased, legendary ninja were reanimated by the enemy for the war. It made sense that Itachi Uchiha would be as well. After she witnessed her father and uncle defeat the then-evil Kabuto Yakushi, she was brought to tears by her uncle when he embraced his younger brother and would love him no matter what he does. _It takes a saint to be able to love so greatly. A saint or a fool_. The vision then showed her father with the members of Taka as well as that man Orochimaru in front of the reanimated hokage. At the end of the first hokage's recount of his history with Madara Uchiha she was glad to hear her father's declaration of protecting the leaf and honoring his brother's wishes.

Seeing her young father fight alongside the future seventh hokage and young mother again warmed heart and cooled her mind. Maybe there was hope for him. All those hopes were dashed the second the enemy Kaguya was defeated and Sasuke declared his intention to revolutionize the ninja world by killing the five kage and eliminating the tailed beasts and Naruto as well. Her hopes hit ice-cold waters when he placed Sakura under a violent genjutsu and claimed to not understand why she held any feelings for him to begin with. Her father then led Naruto to the valley where they had their first battle. Here Sasuke declared that Itachi was the true hokage. He became the world's enemy so everyone would live in peace and Sasuke planned to follow the same route. After Naruto condemned Sasuke's words, their final battle began. It was a battle of titanic proportions she'd never dreamed of. It resulted in the destruction of the valley and the loss of both their dominant arms.

With both of them unable to move after the battle they lay side by side where Sasuke admitted defeat and decided to let himself die. Naruto clearly wouldn't have that and said that he desired cooperation between everyone including Sasuke. Sarada was was surprised to find Sasuke moved to tears and accepting Naruto's friendship. Soon after Kakashi and Sakura arrived where Sasuke sincerely apologized for his actions and Sakura forgave him. At last they returned to the leaf where Sasuke prepared to leave on journey of redemption refusing a prosthetic arm. There she was surprised to see her father expressing genuine affection towards Sakura and to departed after accepting his former headband back from Naruto.

Finally the genjutsu ended she was back on the couch in the Uchiha home. Her head was still spinning, she had gained great knowledge and such little time. In front of her, her father was the age she knew him by. His sharingan deactivated, he looked to be holding back tears. It was clear this was very difficult for him. "Dad, I- why didn't you accept a new arm?" She stammered out. She didn't know what else to say to him.

"Sarada. I, I just couldn't forgive myself." He seemed be choking back a sob.

"What's that supposed to mean? Is that why you left mom for years? Is that the reason you accepted such a long mission?"

"Wait, Sarada." Her mother cut in. "Your father was the only one capable of the mission that was the only reason he accepted it." She seemed to be lying.

"Is that true Dad?" Sarada turned to her father.

"Well sort of."

"So that wasn't the only reason. What else was there?"

"Sarada." Her mother cut in again. "You need to understand that your father needed to atone for what he'd done. He couldn't be here until he did. Your _father_ needed this."

"What about us? Weren't we enough? How can you accept his decisions like this? After how he hurt you?" Sarada was no longer trying to hold back her tears.

"Sarada please-"

"No Sakura." Her father interrupted. Sarada waited for him to say something.

"Well Dad? Do you have anything to say to me? Anything to justify yourself? Anyway to prove that I wasn't without a father for twelve years because of the mistakes you made?"

Sarada received no answer.

"I see." She got up to leave neither of her parents stopping her. "So you really haven't changed much then have you? It's still all about you." She heard a sob behind her, no doubt from her father. Sarada didn't look back. She went upstairs and locked herself in her room.

* * *

Boruto came home to find both his parents on the couch in eachother's arms, his sister crying into her father's shoulder, and his mother seemed like she'd just finished crying herself. He dropped his bag on the floor. "Wh-What's going on?" He was actually afraid of the answer he'd be getting.

"Boruto." His father began. "I don't how else to say this. Your Aunt Hanabi was killed on a mission." His father's voice was soft but it did nothing to lessen the impact of the news he'd received. Boruto dropped to his knees.

"No. That's impossible. Aunt Hanabi is super strong. No way she could be killed. This is some kind of joke right?" It was clear from the sorrowful aura surrounding his family that this was in no way a joke. "No. No." Boruto's tears came out of their accord. _Damn it, stop crying you idiot_. He felt his father's strong arms embrace him. "Cry Boruto, please. Don't hold back."

"I'm a ninja, damn it. I have to be able to endure this. Why?"

"You loved her, so you have every right to cry, to grieve. Please let it out." His father's arms were shaking. He was crying too. "Damn it all." Boruto barely managed to get those words out.

* * *

Mitsuki stared at the black-bladed knife given to him by his mother. _The sun blade she'd called it._ It was an heirloom of her family's so by right it would go to Mitsuki. But Mitsuki had no desire for this burden. He didn't want to be chosen by the sun, especially after their mission. He'd recognized the ability used by the man he and Boruto encountered. It was an ability that can only be achieved by those don't possess chakra. _Just like Mom._ "That means the Black Sun has arrived. I wonder if Father knows, or even cares." He said out loud, smiling at the sun blade in his hand. "No. He doesn't have much interests in wars that he didn't start himself, does he?" He spoke as if the sun blade could hear him. It didn't matter, it's the only thing he had left of his mother, thus he treated it like he was talking to her. "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Maybe I'll go see Father, see what he can tell me." He placed the the knife back on the wall and walked to the kitchen to fix himself a snack. He decide on eggs. _These always were Father's favorite._

His father had told him that the leaf would be safer than at his hideout. _"The seventh hokage will be able to defend and give you a real life like your mother wanted, but if you want to stay with me that's fine too."_ Mitsuki had actually given careful thought to it. He knew his father was allowed to go free after the 4th great ninja war, but he was till kept under watch. In the end he decided on going to the leaf village. _"You'll like it there son. You made a good choice, but that shouldn't be a surprise, you're Himiko's son after all_."

 _"I'm also the son of Orochimaru, an infamous rogue ninja, how do you think the seventh will react to that?"_

 _"Well, who says he has to find out? I'm sure he'll treat you well all the same but perhaps it's still best you keep your heritage a secret. I'll teach you how to resist the mental probing used by the Yamanaka clan."_

Mitsuki had mastered Orochimaru's ability flawlessly. A feat his father had been relatively proud of. But he said it is to be expected of child of one of the Sannin. On the day he left his father gave him the sun blade he'd been keeping safe for Mitsuki's mother along with his mother's note. After he'd left, he came to the village under the appearance of being sick and ill, due to special pills his father gave him to fool others. In truth he came to his father's hideout like his mother's instructed him where he was nursed back to health. He'd be forever grateful for the care his father had given him, and he'd grown fond of him, despite knowing of his status and his deeds. His mother taught a person should never be defined by their mistakes and failures, thus he treated his father the way such a philosophy entailed. Despite that he knew he'd never understand the immortal Orochimaru. The man over sixty years old, who still looked like he was twenty. He hadn't seen him in years but guessed that he would still look the same. He decided he'd worry about that later and decided to eat. He smiled at his eggs. "I wonder what you're up to Father?"


	9. Chapter 9: Family

The funeral was as one would expect. Dark and somber, with every negative emotion imaginable hanging on the air. Aunt Hanabi's body came down gently into the hole in the ground. As dirt was poured on her coffin Boruto's memories of his late aunt attacked him mercilessly. Her brutal training, her comforting embrace, her warm and bubbly attitude. He couldn't understand why someone so good would be taken from him. According to his father, he'd sent Aunt Hanabi to investigate a town that was destroyed. After being gone for two days, a search party was sent to find her team only to find them all dead. Such an outcome wasn't expected for a ninja of Hanabi Hyuga's prowess. Or at least Boruto didn't expect it.

His sister and their mother clung to each other for dear life. Himawari wept softly into their mother, while the latter was struggling to no avail to hold back her own tears. _Why?_ He'd asked this question so many times, but never received a satisfying answer. He began to think he'd never receive one. When the dirt was finally poured, the speeches began, which Boruto stopped paying attention to after his grandfather and mother finished theirs. All the speeches would boil down to the same thing. Hanabi Hyuga was gone and never coming back.

People began clearing out after paying their personal respects to the deceased. Boruto and his family stayed there well after everyone had cleared. Their grandfather's ailing health had drawn him back to the Hyuga compound while otherwise he'd have remained there with them. No words passed between the family members. There was nothing to be said. Their father held Boruto's mother and sister in his arms, all their faces stained with tears. Boruto himself didn't join in the embrace. He knew nothing would come of it. It would not help ease the pain, nor would bring Aunt Hanabi back. In due time everyone will return to their lives and treat Hanabi Hyuga like an after thought. It was in this moment that Boruto realized how his aunt's death would amount to nothing in the long-run. Someone would be found to take her place within the ninja ranks, and Aunt Hanabi would become a statistic; a casualty. He hated that word. There was nothing casual about death.

Boruto left his family to grieve in front aunt Hanabi's grave. They didn't stop him from leaving. They knew he would grieve in his own way. He stepped outside the graveyard and leaned against the fence where he was approached by Sarada who was dressed in the same funeral clothes as himself. His parents had invited the Uchiha family to the funeral, they didn't hesitate to say yes. She leaned there beside him. For a while neither said anything, before finally Boruto was growing awkward and decided to break the silence. "What is it Sarada?"

"Nothing." She sounded startled. "My parents went to pay their respects to my dad's clansmen." Her voice had a bit of disdain on it.

"Shouldn't you be with them then?"

"Probably." She didn't turn to leave. Boruto realized Sarada had something on her mind. "Boruto, does your family keep secrets from you?"

"Probably. Why?"

"I mean big secrets."

"Big, how?"

"Big. As in, change the way you think about your family, big."

"I don't think so. Why? Did your parents keep 'big' something from you?" Boruto didn't receive an answer. Normally he would've pressed her for one, but the expression on Sarada's face said, _yes_. "So did you ask your dad about what we talked about around the campfire?"

Sarada face shot up to glare at him square the eyes. He could tell by the expression she wore, that he shouldn't have asked that question. He waited Sarada for hit him, but she didn't. She simply looked back down at her feet. "It turns out my dad isn't as brave a man as I thought he was." She finally said.

 _What's that supposed to mean?_ "I see." He didn't think this was the appropriate time to say back something smart. She needed someone that she could express herself to and Boruto was glad to be that someone, especially when she wasn't hitting him. "Boruto, I think I might just hate my dad." That was the last thing he expected Sarada to say. Around the campfire she still trusted her father despite all the revelations. _Something must've happened_. "Well, not hate him, but just disappointed in him." Sarada continued.

"I'm guessing what we talked about around the campfire was true, huh?" Boruto decided he had to get that out there. There was no point beating around the bush.

"Everything we talked about was true, and there's so much more to it. I'm just disappointed with how my dad dealt with all that you know?"

"Yeah." _No._ "I'm sorry about that." He didn't what else to say.

"Thanks. I'm also sorry about your aunt. You must've loved her very much."

"I did. Thanks." Boruto was glad to be there with just Sarada. Alone, without her hitting him. He turned to see his family leaving the graveyard. "Well I should probably get going."

"Yeah, see ya." Sarada walked away as well. Boruto came up to his family and his father immediately put his arm around him. Boruto guessed that his father was the one looking for comfort.

* * *

Sarada had been spending more time alone ever since the conversation with her father. Her mother hadn't been particularly happy with it but she couldn't think of anything better to do. It had been three days since then, and two days since Hanabi Hyuga's funeral. The look of anger and pain on Boruto's face reminded of the face her young father wore in his genjutsu. She wished there was something she could do for him.

Today she she sat down at the dock by the lake. It was quiet and lonely here. Just what she wanted. She supposed she ought be grateful her father had been understanding to her recent attitude. She looked down into the water, as if could give some answers. _Wishful thinking_. At least that's what she thought until she saw the reflection of the seventh hokage in it. She turned behind her and sure enough there he there he stood wearing his hokage cape and a face filled with concern. "Lord Seventh, I-"

"Do you mind if I sit?" She was surprised that the hokage was asking for her permission to sit down.

"Of course." She shifted to the side to allow the hokage to sit beside her. Before she always looked up to the hokage with reverence, but today she looked at him like he was a mystery. "Lord Seventh, I'm sorry about Lady Hanabi."

"Thank you Sarada. You're really kind you know."

"Thank you." Sarada was glad that the seventh was beside her. She always felt at ease in his presence.

"I'm guessing you're wondering what I'm doing here?" He said with a light chuckle.

"Oh no. Not at all." She quickly said. That actually wasn't on her mind at all.

"Well anyway. Your dad told that this was a good place to come and think. He used to come here all the time when he was your age you know?"

"Did he now?" Right now she had no desire to be reminded of how much she resembled her father. "So what did you come to think about?"

"Well, that town you went to go save went up flames two days ago. The team we sent there to replace you guys, they got there after it happened, so they're fine. But they told us that there were no survivors."

"What? No way. How'd it happen?"

"We're still looking into it. But apparently the flames are still burning, and they don't give off any smoke, so I'm guessing it wasn't an ordinary attack."

"That's awful." Sarada truly felt bad for that town that was just getting back up on its feet.

"According to the search party that retrieved Hanabi's body, that town she was sent to investigate had been destroyed the same way."

"So it's connected." She wondered if the conspirators Haru was investigating were the ones behind the attack.

"What about you Sarada? What brings you here?" The seventh's question caught her off guard. Should she tell him? What would he think? "I saw your dad earlier today. He looked about as sad and depressed as you do right now. You know you can talk to me if you want. Your my friend as well after all." The seventh's words had the utmost sincerity behind them. She knew she could trust him.

"Why did you forgive him for everything he's done?" Sarada suddenly said. She wanted to take it back, but it was too late now.

"So you know everything then?" The seventh's voice became softer.

"My dad used a genjutsu to show me your battles with him and what he did for revenge."

"Figures. Sasuke was never very good with words after all."

"So why did you forgive him? After what he tried to do to you and my mom. After he threatened to destroy the village."

The hokage didn't answer right away. "I suppose it's because, just letting him go through with his revenge would've been too painful watch. Every time I fought your father all I could see in his eyes was sadness and loneliness, and when he wanted to keep sinking into that place. It just hurt me."

"I know that. I saw your final battle. But why should it hurt you if he decides to hurt himself?"

"Because he's my friend. And I know just one step in the wrong direction, and I could've ended up just like him. Being a jinchuriki you come to understand loneliness pretty well. Watching your father choose that path of his own free will would've been right by others, but for me, giving up on my friends wasn't nearly as easy. Friends don't grow on trees so you have to treasure the ones that you have and nor should you just give up on them without giving it your all. I know it's a bit selfish, but how could I become hokage if I couldn't save even one friend?" The whole time the hokage seemed to be talking more to himself than to her. _So that's why he forgave him. Because they were friends_. Sarada wasn't sure if she could still understand that. "What about you Sarada? Have you forgiven him?"

"Yes. But I can't forgive him for leaving on that mission because he couldn't forgive himself. I know he was the only who could actually do it, but he never came to visit, never made it clear what was really important to him. Mom told me how _he_ needed it. But what about us? We needed him. He was too busy correcting the mistakes of the past to even notice the mistakes he was making in the present." Sarada wasn't talking directly to the hokage either. She just need to get her feeling out there.

"I'm surprised. I let him go thinking it was okay as long he'd come back, but I never thought of it the way you do. I never realized it was weighing so heavily on you." The seventh said sincerely. "I wish I said something to him back then. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Seventh. I just wish we were enough to help ease his pain and guilt."

"So do I. Listen Sarada, I know your dad can be a huge idiot. He isn't very good at having a family, but you need to always remember that no matter what happens he'll always love you." That's just like what Uncle Itachi told her father. _Maybe I'm more like Dad than I thought, or want to be_. The hokage got up to leave as he patted her shoulder.

She was alone again. She looked at her own reflection in the water, she was always told how much she resembled her father, now she was beginning to see it. Others didn't see her father the way Sarada did. Before, she saw a man devoted as ninja and loving as a father. Now all she could see was a broken, selfish man who got away with every mistake. _Well not this time_. She wouldn't let him get away with his mistakes so easily.

* * *

Boruto had been watching Sasuke Uchiha train ever since the funeral. His skill-set astounded him, and Boruto was sure that he hadn't seen half of what he could do. All five chakra natures, taijutsu, ninjutsu, shurikenjutsu, Boruto couldn't even fathom what other jutsu he could do. _He's way cooler that Dad._ Ever since seeing Sasuke at the funeral he'd been following him around hoping to learn more about him for Sarada. He couldn't get the image out his mind about how depressed she seemed. Lately, he'd had also gotten very intrigued by the Uchiha. "You can come out now Boruto!" Sasuke called out. How did he know he was there? How _long_ did he know he was there? Boruto hopped down from the tree branch he was perched on. "How long did you know I was there?"

"Since the funeral." Sasuke answered. Boruto wasn't sure how to interpret that, but decided it didn't matter. "So any special reason you've following me around?"

Boruto hesitated. "I want you to make your student." Sasuke looked surprised, no, shocked by his statement. He looked Boruto up and down, as if assessing him. "Sorry Boruto, the answer's no." He finally said. That was unacceptable. Boruto wouldn't accept anyone else as his mentor.

"C'mon what if I prove to you I'll be a good student?"

"Fine, if you can do the rasengan I'll take you as my student."

Boruto instantly formed a rasengan. Sasuke definitely didn't seem to be expecting that. Boruto threw the rasengan back over his shoulder ignoring the explosion and the crater it most likely formed. Boruto kept smiling at Sasuke. "So will you take me?" Boruto asked excitedly.

Sasuke sighed. "Why do you want me as your mentor anyway? You got Konohamaru and your dad? Don't you?"

"Konohamaru-sensei is my team leader who I probably won't actually have as my mentor, and my dad's too busy being the hokage. But you. You can teach me without restrictions can't you?"

Sasuke looked at Boruto with an almost guilty look look on his face. As if he wanted to accept him as his student but was afraid to."Look Old Man Sasuke, I know things haven't been easy to Sarada lately, but I'll talk to her about it. Please Old Man take me as your student." Boruto was ready to beg him if he had to. There would be no one else he'd accept as his master. Finally Sasuke relented, "alright Boruto I'll take you as my student."

"Yes!" Boruto laughed out loud.

"We'll meet at the memorial stone tomorrow at 10:00 AM, Got it?"

"You got it Old Man Sasuke."

"And one more thing. Stop calling me 'Old Man'"

"You got it Old Man Sasuke." Boruto heard Sasuke groan, but didn't care. He finally had a real mentor.

* * *

"You actually took on an apprentice?" His wife clearly did not expect this when he told he had good news. "So who's your new pupil?"

"Naruto's son." Sasuke heard his wife laugh hard at his reply. When she saw his serious expression however, she immediately stopped laughing.

"Wait, you're serious? You took Boruto on as your apprentice?"

"That's right. Is there something weird about that?"

"I just never imagined that, is all."

"Me neither. He actually came out and asked me to make him my student. I didn't want to at first, but the kid was persistent."

"He gets that from both his parents." Sakura sounded happy. "I think you'll like Boruto, he's a real prodigy you know. He's a lot better than Naruto and Hinata were at that age."

"Yeah I heard that." Sasuke said. "I just don't know how I'm gonna handle him. I mean, I never thought of myself as being a teacher."

"Then why did you accept?"

Sasuke didn't answer straight away. He fidgeted trying to think an appropriate response. "Well I suppose I should get involved with this village one way or another now that my mission's over." In truth Sasuke wasn't sure he accepted Boruto as his student.

"I think you should talk to the sixth hokage for some tips."

"Kakashi, he's still alive?"

"Of course he's still alive you idiot. He's not _that_ old."

"I was only kidding." He hadn't seen his old teacher in a long time. Perhaps it would be best for him to go see Kakashi. He wondered what he was like now. His thoughts though were cut off by the sound of the door opening. That must mean his daughter was home.

"Hey Sarada." Sakura called to Sarada as cheerfully as she could manage. "So how did your walk go?"

"Hi mom. My walk went fine. I actually ran into the hokage. He sat down with me and we talked for a bit." Sarada sounded happy at that. Sasuke wondered what his daughter his friend could've possibly talked about. Especially after their last real conversation. Ever since Sasuke confessed his deeds to his daughter, Sasuke had silently agreed to her some space. From insistence from his wife of course.

"That's good. Sarada come say hi to your father." Sakura said it more like order than a request.

She walked over to him. "Hi dad." There was almost no emotion behind her words.

"Hey Sarada." He tried to sound happy but it didn't work too well.

"Sasuke tell our daughter what happened today." Sakura called out. Sasuke really didn't feel like telling her, but her wife's words were not easily refuted.

"Well you see Sarada, I took Boruto on as my apprentice today."

Sarada's face finally showed some emotion, but it wasn't the emotion he was expecting. "Boruto? Why'd you take him on?" Her voice rang with anger.

"Well, he asked me too, and he's persistent." Sasuke stammered out.

"You could've just refused. I had to teach myself the firestyle jutsu from the scroll you gave me. I had no one to help me."

"I know. And I'm proud of you for it."

"You don't get it!" Sarada was livid now, he could see it. "But why should I expect you to?" Sarada spat at him. She didn't wait for a response nor could Sasuke give one. She simply went upstairs and slammed the door to her room. Sasuke had messed up again, only this time he wasn't sure about what he did.

"I really don't get it, do I?" Sasuke turned to face his wife who had the same hurt expression that Sasuke was probably wearing.

"It doesn't seem like you do." Sakura sighed.

"Is she jealous that I took Boruto on as an apprentice, and not her?"

"I think it's more like she's upset that you moved on from her so quickly."

Sasuke couldn't believe this. "That's not it. I just, I didn't take on Boruto to avoid Sarada, I just thought that maybe I could help him out. Konohamaru or Naruto aren't able to do that."

"Then tell her." Her wife was growing impatient with him now. "You need to stop keeping your reasons and feelings to yourself. Sarada wants to help you. She wants to be someone to help you get over your past, but you won't let her. You think you're protecting her by keeping all your secrets from her, but you're also hurting her by doing that." Sakura yelled at him. Sasuke knew she was right. By hiding his feelings from his daughter he was hurting her. "Sasuke. Why did you _really_ take on Boruto as your apprentice?"

Sasuke hesitated. "The look in his eyes is the same as mine when I was his age. A look that just screams of pain and anger. Maybe I was being impulsive when he came to me, but I felt like if didn't say yes to him, I'd be making another huge mistake." Sasuke gave his wife a determined look. This was the real reason he accepted Boruto as his student. If he could stop just one person from becoming like him, maybe he'd be able to forgive himself for his mistakes. His wife smiled at him.

"Alright then. I guess you've made up your mind. I'm proud of you Sasuke, and congratulations on your new student."

"Thank you. I'm gonna go see Kakashi now." He walked out the door with new determination and resolve. Naruto always talked about passing the will of fire onto the next generation. _The time's come to do just that._

* * *

The Village Hidden in the Leaves seemed like a place out of time. It was a quaint village and a bustling metropolis all it once. _A lot better than that dinky town_. Haru had brought Jet along with five other members of the black sun for this infiltration. All of them wore dark hooded ponchos to conceal their identities. Haru had to be particularly cautious given that four ninja from the leaf already knew his identity. Not that it mattered if he was discovered, he'd simply kill the unfortunate fellow recognized him, no matter who it was. Jet had complained about why they couldn't launch an all out assault. He knew Jet was aching for some real action, and truth be told, so was Haru. But he had no intention intention of getting the Black Sun into a full scale battle. They were still human and could only do so much after all.

The night air was sweet and soothing. Tonight they would take their sacrifice. Tonight they would take Himawari Uzumaki. "Everyone ready back there?" His entire infiltration team all nodded in unison. "Alright then. Move!" Swift and silent they ran into the village bypassing the barrier ninjutsu set in place around the village's perimeter, and silently killing any guards on the border. They stuck to the allies. Haru had no desire to waste time taking the streets. Behind buildings and over rooftops was their route. Safest and without any traffic. As they neared the hokage residence. Haru signaled his subordinates to stop. There were ANBU guarding the residence. _As expected_. Haru had the team split up to eliminate guards faster. Seconds later, the ANBU began dropping like flies despite Haru's squad being outnumbered by them. Haru entered the home through a window while he had the rest of his squad remained outside. He told them that it was to avoid being noticed. The home's interior was rather modest compared to how large it was. Haru made his way upstairs which was rather plain in comparison to the first floor. There were but 4 doors no doubt one of them was the bathroom. He used the natural energy to help him find the disturbance that was Himawari Uzumaki. That disturbance was not small but soft. And it was young as well. _Found you_. He entered the second last room and sure enough in the large bedroom, there was single bed. On it slept a little girl with short dark hair. That had to be Himawari Uzumaki. He would simply knock her out with a jab to the neck and escape out the window in the room. He approached the bed slowly and quietly and pressed his finger into the girl's neck once he was right beside her. He placed the girl under her arm and as he did he spoke to the immensely powerful presence he'd been sensing behind him for some time. "So Seventh Hokage, do you plan to just let me walk out of your with little girl or will you do something about it?" He turned to face the face his foe and sure and enough there he stood in his glory. He still wore his Hokage cape.

"If you know what's good for you'll let my daughter go kid." He was quiet, but Haru could sense the intense fatherly anger emanating from him.

"Hate to say this old man but I have no intention of doing so."

"I won't ask again."

"It's not like you were asking to begin with."

"You really want to die that badly?"

"About that. I don't have any intention of doing that either. So since neither of us will be backing down, how about we take this outside? Wouldn't want to wake up the rest of your family now would we?" He smirked at the hokage.

"Trust me, I'll end this before they even realize your here." With blinding speed the hokage appeared directly in Haru's face where he effortlessly caught the hokage's kick and pushed him back. Smirking at the hokage, Haru threw his daughter out the window. "HEY!" The hokage yelled in vain and without need since she was caught by one his men who sped away with the girl. "You bastard!" The hokage was red with anger and he no longer kept his voice down.

"Well, now that that's out of the way we can do this properly." He grinned. Before Haru or the hokage could make a move, a dark haired woman who was no doubt the byakugan princess and Boruto Uzumaki appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on?!" The princess was frantic.

"Well, so much for you ending this before the rest of your family realizes I'm here." He mocked the hokage. "How've ya' been kid?" He addressed Boruto, removing his hood. The boy clearly wasn't expecting this. That made the their reunion all the more amusing for Haru.

"Haru Chinatsu? What the hell is going on?" Boruto cried out.

"You know this guy Boruto?"The hokage asked his son.

"Yeah, he's the chief of that town we went to on our mission."

"Oh that town." Haru began. "I sent that place up in flames."

"You what?!" The hokage's son was clearly out of the loop. The boy anger was quite impressive in all honesty. he had a desire to see what he was capable of. Boruto opened his mouth to speak, or to most like yell something, but didn't get the chance to do either.

"You destroyed that town using a special fire right?" The hokage's tone grew darker.

"Correct." Haru replied.

"Another town was destroyed the same way. The town I sent Hanabi Hyuga to investigate." The hokage looked in square in the eyes and Haru stared back. The byakugan princess and Boruto seemed to be growing with fear

"How about you stop beating around the bush and say it?"

The hokage didn't get a chance to. His wife spoke first. "You. You killed my sister." The look of horror and rage on her face was priceless. The same face was worn by the hokage and Boruto.

The byakugan princess stepped forward. Her dojutsu activated and an evil aura surrounding her. "You son of a bitch! I'll-"

"Hinata." The hokage caught his wife before she could charge at Haru.

"Take Boruto and raise the alarm. This guy's cronies kidnapped Hima. No doubt there are already ANBU chasing after them but we need to let every ninja in the village know."

"What, Hima?!" The hokage's wife and son cried out in unison.

"It'll be alright. I promise. Now go."

After some hesitation and reluctance Hinata Hyuga ran away dragging her son behind her. Boruto manage to steal one last glare at Haru though. "That's a nice family you've got." Haru smirked at the hokage.

"Yeah they are. I'm lucky to have them." The hokage spoke up.

"Well, most of em'. What, with you sister-in-law dead and me having kidnapped your daughter and all."

The hokage began to glow bright yellow with black seals over his body. Haru could sense the natural energy mixed with vile chakra radiating off the hokage. _So this is his jinchuriki and sage powers. "_ Haru Chinatsu was it? I've never seen my wife so mad in my life. I promise you, if you were facing her she'd tear you limb from limb. Literally." The hokage began raising his voice. "I don't want my son to see his mother like that so I'll slaughter you for her and for me!"

Haru laughed. "This is gonna be fun." He gave the hokage a thumbs down. The hokage scoffed and the two charged at each other.


	10. Chapter 10: Naruto vs Haru

Sasuke and Kakashi had sat for hours discussing their past as well how best to train a prodigy. Kakashi told Sasuke all about teaching a prodigy was boring since they would master whatever you showed them. But he also said that with Sasuke as Boruto's teacher, his experience might be different. Sasuke wasn't sure if he was to interpret that as a compliment or an insult. Sasuke was truly anxious about his new apprentice thus the conversation went late into the night. He didn't like being out from his family, but he had to learn all that he could about teaching a prodigy. Their conversation however was cut short by the village alarm. "Intruders have kidnapped the hokage's daughter. Lord hokage is engaged in combat with the enemy leader. All on-duty chunin and jonin and any off-duty ones, report for duty." The alarm kept repeating.

Sasuke and Kakashi both got up out of their seats. "What moron would dare take Himawari?" Kakashi growled. "More importantly how did they manage it?"

"I'll head over to the hokage residence." Sasuke declared, picking up his sword.

"Actually Sasuke you should go and take care of your family, we shouldn't worry about Naruto, he'll be fine. I'll go and retrieve Himawari." Kakashi stopped him. Sasuke had told his former teacher of his situation Sarada. He guessed Kakashi was simply trying to help him patch things up. Sasuke was hesitant to go though. "Sasuke, go to your family, let them know you consider them a priority." Kakashi must've been reading his thoughts.

"Fine." Sasuke relented. "Good luck Kakashi."

With that Kakashi leapt out the window and headed towards the hokage residence. Sasuke made his way back home.

He found both Sarada and Sakura already exiting the house. "Sakura, Sarada!" He called to them. Sakura looked at him with relief and Sarada looked at him with something _resembling_ relief.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be helping the seventh." Sakura ran over to him.

"I came to check up on you, in light of the situation." Sasuke replied. Sarada seemed intrigued by his response.

"Hinata must be losing her mind. We have to do something Sasuke." Sakura declared.

"Don't worry." He put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Naruto can fight the enemy leader, and the sixth hokage is going after Himawari."

"We can't just sit here!" Sarada was clearly anxious over the situation. She was close to the both Uzumaki children thus her worry over Himawari was understandable.

"It'll be fine. I promise." He tried to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder only for Sarada to pull away. Sasuke wasn't surprised by her response but it still stung. "We should stay inside the house." Sasuke said.

"Sasuke! Sakura!" Sasuke turned to see Hinata and her son Boruto running towards them.

"Hinata!" Sakura ran to take Hinata in her arms. Boruto came up to Sasuke and Sarada. "Old Man Sasuke, we need your help!" Boruto was in a rage. "Those bastards took my sister!"

"Do you guys know who it was?" Sakura asked.

"It was Haru Chinatsu. The chief of the town we went to on our mission!" Boruto spoke up.

"What? No way. Why isn't he dead?" Sarada suddenly sounded surprised and interested.

"Because he's the one that _destroyed_ the town and the one that my Aunt Hanabi went to check out. That guy killed my Aunt Hanabi." The anger in Boruto's voice all to familiar. It was the anger that practically consumed Sasuke in his youth.

"This changes things. I'm gonna go help Kakashi retrieve Himawari. The rest of you stay here."

"No way!" Boruto snapped. "You gotta let me come with you Old Man! This guy killed Aunt Hanabi and took my sister, you expect me just sit here?!"

"I don't expect you like it, but yes, I expect you to sit here."

Boruto came forward to protest, but was held back by his mother. "Boruto stay here with Sarada and Aunt Sakura." She turned to Sasuke. " _I_ am going with you. I have this duty as her mother." Hinata's eyes held anger, but not the blinding anger of her son.

"Alright. Let's go." He turned to his family and Boruto. "We'll see you soon and we'll have Himawari with us." Sasuke and Hinata ran off to retrieve the hokage's daughter, despite their children's protests.

* * *

Another powerful kick flew at Naruto's head which he barely dodged. He retaliated with an elbow only for Haru to sidestep it. Haru then threw a punch directly for Naruto's face. Naruto dodged this attack quite expertly but was shocked to find himself still blown back and his face stinging as if he _had_ been hit. _What is with this guy?_ Naruto thought as he wiped the blood from his mouth. It takes someone incredibly strong to be able to draw blood from the seventh hokage. "What's wrong hokage? Your movements are getting slow." Haru called out mockingly.

"I'll teach you to mess with grown-ups kid." Naruto growled. _Easier said than done._ Naruto formed several shadow clones. Together with his clones Naruto fought Haru throughout the hokage residence decimating it in the process. Naruto saw an opening. _Windstyle: Rasenshuriken!_ A fast glowing windmill shuriken with a rasengan at the center of it went directly at Haru from behind. _Game over pal_. However, a powerful shockwave came off of Haru, destroying Naruto's clones, leveling the hokage residence, and knocking the rasenshuriken off course. Naruto himself was forced back by it as well. "That's a shame." Haru said. "I thought I'd destroy that loud, flashy attack of yours and send you flying. But I suppose the kage title really isn't for nothing huh?" Haru sighed. Naruto on the other hand was shocked that this young man accomplished as much as he did.

"Just who the hell are you really?" Naruto wasn't asking.

"You heard your kid. My name's Haru. Who I am, is just a guy doing what he loves."

"Kidnapping little kids?!"

"No, I'm not a pedophile. I've got more class than that you see. But I do need your little girl for a little something. It's nothing personal."

"Well it's personal now pal!" Naruto charged at his foe with two rasengans. Haru blocked and dodged everytime Naruto tried and tried to strike with the rasengans in his hands, but Haru was caught off guard by the third rasengan in the chakra arm he sent at Haru which sent him flying backwards. Naruto hoped to see that some damage had been done. Haru stood up to reveal that he barely suffered any injuries at all. _Damn_. Haru cracked his neck and maliciously smiled at Naruto. "That was a nice solid hit, but as you can tell, I'm sturdier than you think." Almost immediately, Haru blew an incredibly fast orange-red beam from his mouth at Naruto. It was all Naruto could do to dodge the attack. The rubble that was behind him wasn't so lucky. As soon as Haru's attack hit, it burst into a great blaze. These flames were far hotter than normal flames and didn't give off any smoke, no doubt that was how he destroyed the two towns. _That's some impressive firestyle jutsu._ "That wasn't firestyle jutsu hokage." Haru paused. "Come on, you must've noticed by now, what's odd about me."

Naruto _did_ feel these was something strange about him. For all the power Haru possessed, there wasn't the faintest hint of chakra coming off of him. "You don't use chakra." Naruto figured it out.

"Correct. I was born without chakra, but as you can see that doesn't mean I can't stand on equal terms with likes of you."

"So it seems." _What is this guy doing? If he has no chakra then how is he able to do all these things?_ Realization suddenly hit him. This was what he'd been feeling the whole time. "It's natural energy. You can passively take pure natural energy into your body and use it directly. It's also what allows you to counter any chakra based attacks."

"Bravo." Haru mockingly clapped. "You're getting closer to figuring out my abilities. As a reward, I'll tell you that I'm not the only one who can do this."

"The rest of you team!" Naruto's fear suddenly rose. _There are six more guys like Haru._

"You look scared hokage. That's a good look on you actually. Very soon everyone will be wearing it."

* * *

"There! I see them!" Hinata announced. Sasuke followed her lead.

"How many are we dealing with?" Sasuke inquired of her.

"I can't see."

"What're you talking about? The byakugan can see everything."

"Well these people are somehow able to hide from my byakugan. But I can see Hima and Lord Sixth, that's how I know where they are." Hinata's pace quickened unbelievably. It was all Sasuke could do to keep up with the scorned mother. Sasuke guessed it should be expected. He'd seen how strong Sakura could become when their daughter was in danger; he wondered how dangerous Hinata could be. They quickly reached the battlefield. Many shinobi were already dead. The ground stained with their blood. Kakashi was firing purple electricity from his hand to combat six foes. One of them, carrying Himawari. Sasuke and Hinata quickly jumped into the fray. "Let my daughter go!" Hinata yelled as she sent a blast of air from her palm towards the kidnappers blowing back three of them.

"What are you two doing here?" Kakashi asked, even though he didn't sound surprised.

"Isn't it obvious? Hinata's here to slaughter her daughter's kidnappers and I decided to come along so she doesn't go too far." Sasuke gestured over to Hinata who was engaging their six foes by herself utilizing her Gentle: Step Twin Lion Fists. Sasuke and Kakashi dove back into the fray. Sasuke utilized his sword combined with chidori and sharingan while Kakashi used his personal purple electricity with both hands. He was surprised their attacks being blocked the enemy's bare hands, albeit they were still being pushed back but not taking much damage. One of them was blocking them quite flawlessly. The one carrying Himawari under his left arm. The one whom Hinata was engaged with. After Sasuke kicked away the one he was dealing with and went to go aid Hinata. Sasuke slashed at him avoiding Himawari, only for him to be dodged. Sasuke then tried to use Amaterasu on his right side so as to avoid Himawari. The man's right side became engulfed in black flames, causing him stumble and drop Himawari. Hinata immediately ran, grabbed her daughter, and returned to Sasuke's side. _Mission accomplished_. "Hima! Hima! Are you alright?" Hinata frantically spoke to her daughter. "hmm. Mom?"

"Oh Hima." She hugged her daughter tight with tears in her eyes.

"Hinata, head back to my place. The sixth and I will handle the rest." Sasuke said to her. He felt an attack coming at him from behind and blocked. The right side of this man's poncho was burned. _He's the guy I hit with my Amaterasu._ He smiled maliciously at Sasuke from under his hood as he found himself being forced back. "Those flames of yours were unexpected, but as you can see I manage to throw 'em off." The man gestured over his shoulder where that black flames were literally lying on the ground. Distracted by this new development, Sasuke was thrown back. "Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking the girl back." He approached Hinata and Himawari threateningly. Hinata put her daughter down behind her and looked as if she was ready to use herself as shield for her daughter. _No way that's happening_. Sasuke sent out a great Susanoo arm that grabbed the attacker, while causing his hood to fall off revealing his long brown hair. Sasuke moved on to crush his adversary only to find that his Susanoo's hand was struggling with the deed. The brown-haired man smiled at Sasuke's obvious confusion. "Is this all you can muster?" He smiled as glowing cracks began to appear in his Susanoo, and the man jumped away once Susanoo's grip was loosened enough. _How did he do that?_ He put in more of his chakra to repair the Susanoo. Sasuke turned to see Hinata and Himawari make their escape and Kakashi just barely holding off the foes he was facing using his shadow clones. _What is going on here?_

* * *

Boruto hands began hurt from his clenched fists. _I should be out there, damn it._ The thought of his mother and sister put in harm's wasn't something he could stomach. Boruto turned his head up to see Sarada offering him a cup of tea. "Thanks." He took the cup from her as she sat down beside him on the couch without saying anything. "Where's your mom?" Boruto asked.

"She's upstairs preparing medicine and supplies, for any injuries when my dad and your mom come back."

"You think their actually going to?"

"Of course I do. Despite what I think of him, My dad is super strong and so is your mom." Sarada didn't say anything that Boruto hadn't already realized.

"You don't get it. I have to be out there." Boruto said looking her in directly her onyx eyes.

Sarada gave him a scrutinizing look. "I do get it. Your pride won't allow you to just sit still regardless of what the logical thing to do is."

"What was that?!" Boruto shot up and put his tea cup down roughly. Sarada got up to meet his challenge.

"I know you're pissed because you couldn't protect your sister. But what do you think you'll be able to accomplish by going out there?!" Sarada scolded him without mercy.

Boruto wanted to yell something back. He wanted say that he'd be able to save his sister, but he couldn't, no matter how much he wanted to. He sat back down on the couch with Sarada doing the same. Boruto gritted his teeth at the idea of not being able to do anything. He looked down at the teacup sitting on the table, wondering what to do, what he could could do, what he would do. Suddenly the front door to the Uchiha household flew open and saw his mother carrying sister run in through it. "Mom! Hima!" He ran to see their condition, and Sarada ran up to get her mother. His mother had suffered minor injuries, and Hima was asleep in her arms. "Are you two alright?" Boruto was frantic.

"I haven't gotten hurt serious and Hima's just asleep. Don't worry." His mother reassured him. Boruto looked his sleeping sister, she didn't seem injured, but the fact that someone had dared to lay a hand on her was enough to warrant anger war. His thoughts though were cut off by Sarada and her mother's entrance. "Hinata! Are you and Hima alright?" Aunt Sakura sounded as frantic as Boruto. "C'mon I'll take you two upstairs." Aunt Sakura practically dragged Boruto's mother and sister upstairs to be checked up on and Boruto moved to follow them. "Boruto, you and Sarada stay downstairs." Aunt Sakura ordered with a look in her eye that said: _"Don't mess with me."_ Boruto grumbled as he went back downstairs, wanting to be beside his family.

Boruto sat down with Sarada again. "Thanks." He said to his friend.

"For what?"

"For letting my family stay here."

Sarada looked down at her feet. "It's my mom you should be thanking. It was her idea."

"Yeah, but still." He looked away flustered as Sarada smiled at him. "I wonder where Old Man Sasuke is." He suddenly said.

"Why are you worried about him?" Sarada's response confused Boruto. Did she really say that?

"Huh? Why _aren't_ you worried about him?"

"Because he's super strong! I don't see what the big deal is! Go ask you mom if your so worried about him." Sarada was clearly annoyed. Boruto decided to drop the matter before it got out of hand.

* * *

The hokage wasn't letting up. Every attack thrown at Haru was as powerful as the last and quicker. Haru was able to keep up though. With every attack thrown at him Haru neutralized and blitzed the hokage with his fists, though the hokage was able dodge those, albeit barely. Though this was not an even fight. Haru made sure to not show all his skills and exhaust himself too soon. He could tell however, that the hokage thought that the two of them were evenly matched. _I'll disappoint him later though._ After blocking a another rasengan from the hokage with his hands and then sending him flying back, Haru took air into his body, locked on to the hokage, instantly blitzed and sent him crashing into the wall. The hokage got back up, his chakra cloak still active but blood dripping from his mouth. "Haven't seen anyone as fast as you since my old man." The hokage said as he wiped away the blood. "Even more impressive considering that you're doing it without enhancement or space-time manipulation."

Haru was actually quite intrigued by the compliment, but he could also sense the hokage's fear in his voice. _"Haru, you there?"_ Jet's voice voice spoke in his earpiece. Haru quickly upturned the earth and hid behind newly created wall. "What's going on?" He spoke into his earpiece.

 _"Well, we lost the hokage's daughter."_ Jet could hear fighting in the background.

"Well that sucks. I guess you're facing some powerful opponents over there."

 _"Not too impressive, but annoying for sure. Look, I think we have to resort to Plan B."_

"Alright, so long as your sure. See ya later Jet."

 _"See ya."_ The conversation was cut off just in time, for the hokage to blow the cover Haru was hiding behind. Haru however managed to escape from the damage quite easily. He turned to face the hokage. "Whoa, time out!" He held up his hands in a T formation. "It just so happens that your allies have successfully retrieved your daughter from our evil clutches." He said sarcastically, while grinning at the hokage.

The hokage's demeanor didn't change. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Well, I was hoping you would but I don't need you to believe me. Now if you don't mind, I will be making my dramatic escape now. You can have the other members of my team." All in one instant Haru took natural energy to his fingers, snapped them creating a huge flash of light, blinding the Hokage while Haru bolted away. "See you later, descendant of the moon!" He called to the confused hokage as left him, the village, and his team behind.

* * *

Naruto ran back to the Uchiha household after Haru escaped and they'd destroyed the hokage residence. Though that was the least of his concerns. Naruto was baffled by his opponent's power. He was able to use pure natural energy to mimic ninjutsu and his physical combat skills were on par with the likes of Rock Lee. _Haru Chinatsu. Just who the hell are you?_ He had never heard of anyone or family with such a name, nor of anyone wielding that sort of power. _Maybe it's the enemy greater than Kaguya Sasuke was talking about_. He pushed those thoughts away as he reached the Uchiha household. He flung the door open to see his wife and daughter safe, sitting with Uchiha family, his son, as well Kakashi-sensei. His daughter came running into his arms. "Dad! Dad!"

"Hima. I'm so glad your safe." He embraced his daughter, as he did his best to hold back his tears. Hinata came up to him as well. "Oh Naruto. Are you hurt?" His wife looked worried.

"It's nothing too serious. What about you guys? Are you okay?"

"Mostly. None of the injuries are serious." Sakura answered back. Naruto looked around to see his wife, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei showing signs of having had treatment.

"Naruto. You aren't gonna believe what happened." Sasuke said to him. "All six of the enemies we were engaging surrendered."

"Is that right?" _So this is what Haru meant._

"It seemed unnecessary as well, considering how powerful they were. They weren't ordinary ninja." Kakashi spoke up.

Sasuke turned to speak again. "Naruto those guys-"

"Weren't using chakra?" He finished for his fired. "I noticed. I'm guessing you saw how they're able to nullify our ninjutsu with their bare hands."

Sasuke, Kakashi, and Hinata all nodded in agreement. "I couldn't use my gentle fist to my fullest extent." His wife said. "There was no chakra system or chakra points for me to attack."

"One of 'em was able to overpower my Susanoo." Sasuke said. Naruto was surprised to hear that. He had to purposely keep his jaw from dropping. Susanoo wasn't easily overpowered.

"So what did you do with them after they surrendered?" Naruto asked.

"We handed them over to the interrogation division." Kakashi-sensei answered. Naruto nodded in approval. It seemed like the best course of action, thoguh he doubted the interrogation division would get any answers out of them.

"How'd your fight go?" It was Boruto who'd asked after being quiet for awhile. "What happened to Haru?"

"He escaped." Naruto solemnly replied.

"What do you mean he escaped? How can he escape from you?" Boruto sounded upset.

"Well he was a superhumanly powerful ninja. Never seen anything like him, and I've seen a lot of things."

"Why'd you just let him go? After what he did?" Boruto voice grew louder, as all eyes passed between father and son.

"Because I had to come check on my family." Naruto kept his calm. "Boruto. We'll catch him. I promise."

Boruto grumbled at his response, it was clear that there was more he wanted to say, but guessed that his mother's glare was enough to keep him quiet. However, the anger on his son's voice was all too obvious. It worried him that his son could be so angry at such a young age. "Well, I suppose we'll go see the prisoners tomorrow. Right now there something else we need to settle." All the adults in the room agreed. Sakua came over to him and began treatment on his wounds.

Once she had finished, Naruto turned to Sasuke and Sakura and asked the question he'd been dreading to ask them. "So can me and my family stay with you guys for a while?" He asked nervously.

"Why?" Sakura's tone scrutinized him and her face had an incredulous look on it.

"Well you see. My fight with Haru kind of, leveled the hokage residence."

"WHAT?!" Naruto's wife, daughter, and son all yelled in unison. Naruto simply laughed nervously. Kakashi simply smiled at the scene. Sasuke simply seemed uninterested. "I'm not staying here with Sarada." His son said getting out of his seat clearly flustered.

"Oh. You mean you're getting shy around you crush?" He teased his son, as both Boruto and Sarada went red in the face.

"Crush? What crush?" Sasuke suddenly sounded interested and very deathly serious. Boruto turned pale in the face as the protective Uchiha father bore his sharingan at him. Naruto smiled at the beautiful scene.

"Oh it's no big deal Dad. There's nothing between us." Sarada said defending Boruto. She glared at Sasuke with the same sharingan eyes. Sasuke stared between Boruto and Sarada before finally relenting.

"Fine. But if he makes any moves on you, it'll be be the same digging his own grave." Sasuke gave one last glare at Boruto before deactivating his sharingan. Boruto sat back down, his legs still shaking. Sakura sighed at her husband's over-protectiveness. Sasuke was glad that despite the tension between Sasuke and Sarada, Sasuke still cared for his daughter.

"OK. So it's settled. For the time being, the Uchihas and the Uzumakis will be living under the same roof." Naruto loudly declared with a laugh with no one joining in. On the inside he wondered about Haru's words as he left. _Why did he call me "descendant of the_ moon"?


	11. Chapter 11: The Sol

The morning was as hectic as Sarada expected with the hokage's family living in their home. Sarada and Himawari had bunked in the same room, due to her father's insistence that Boruto stay away from her. _Now, he feels overprotective_. Their house had a guest room where Boruto crashed, and the hokage and his wife slept in the extra bedroom. Due to how noisy it had gotten with the extra family staying with them Sarada was up earlier than usual, and walked to the bathroom to find it was blocked by none other Boruto Uzumaki, while the other was being used by her father. However, Himawari's presence was a blessing. She'd always socialized with boys so having another girl in her home was rare treat. She liked Himawari's bubbly attitude and how mature she was for her age. Having the hokage at their home was more of an honor than anything. She grew quite fond of him and was unable to see anything that Boruto couldn't like.

After the struggle known as breakfast had passed, the families sat down in the living room and discussed last night's events. Sarada found it quite intriguing, especially the hokage's recount of his clash with Haru. When she met him on their first mission Sarada never guessed that Haru was capable of such evil and capable of fighting off the seventh hokage, who had told her to call him Uncle Naruto. It was awkward to refer to him so informally, but decided it was only fair since Boruto called her father 'Old Man Sasuke', not that she had any complaints. She found her father's nickname to be quite amusing. So far that was the only thought about her father that made her smile. The description of Haru's abilities confused Sarada. How could a man with no chakra use abilities similar to ninjutsu? The concept was difficult for her to stomach. Himawari was completely knocked out for the majority of her ordeal so she couldn't add anything regarding their enemy's abilities. They all agreed it was for the best that she couldn't remember anything.

Finally Uncle Naruto had gotten up out of his seat for what Sarada assumed was an announcement. "I'm gonna head over to the interrogation division, and see exactly what our prisoners will tell us."

"I'll come with you." Her father announced as well. _Of course he'll go._ Sarada didn't know why he had to go with him. The hokage should be enough.

"I'm going too." Boruto's announcement didn't surprise Sarada but it did bother her a little bit.

"Sorry Boruto, but this isn't something you should be there for." Uncle Naruto sounded as if he had anticipated his son's actions.

"These guys know who killed Aunt Hanabi and they tried to kidnap Hima. There's no way I'm staying here!" Boruto stance had become violent.

"Boruto, this isn't something-" Uncle Naruto was cut off by her father.

"It's okay Naruto. He can come."

"What are you talking about Sasuke?"

"I think your son deserves a chance to confront these prisoners."

"No offense, but since when did you take such an interest in what's best for my son?"

"Since he became my student." Her father clearly relished the look of surprise on Uncle Naruto's face. Sarada herself found that Lady Hinata and Himawari were equally surprised.

"But what-when. How? How did I not know about this?" Uncle Naruto stammered to his son who opened his mouth to respond with likely something insulting, only for Sarada's father to save the day.

"I told him not to tell you. I thought it would be a great surprise when he came home one day and showed all the cool new techniques I taught him, but progress has been slow given the situation." Her father had taken the best way to get under Uncle Naruto's skin and one-up him. She was rather amused by this scene actually.

"Fine. Then just wait and see when I teach _Sarada_ all kinds of new techniques!" Uncle Naruto's sudden declaration shocked Sarada like a lightning bolt.

"Wait. What?" Sarada said, before her father could.

"C'mon Sarada." Uncle Naruto came up to her practically begging. "It'll be great being my student."

"You're serious?" Sarada could tell that he was, but the suddenness of the situation took all other words from her mouth.

"I'm afraid he is Sarada." Her mother said. "The hokage and you father don't joke when it comes to things like this."

"Okay. Alright!" She pumped fist in the air, with the hokage behaving in the same enthusiastic manner as her.

"Alright Sarada. You're coming with us too then." Uncle Naruto practically dragged Sarada with them in his enthusiasm. "Let's show your dad whose better."

Sarada smiled wide at the hokage's words as they left the house after giving their goodbyes. Boruto simply scoffed with a smile at the whole idea just like her father did. _Yeah Uncle Naruto. Let's show my dad._

* * *

The interrogation division was as one would expect. Dark, gloomy, a sense danger hanging on the air, with shinobi in black coats walking around. Boruto found it rather depressing, but that's how it should be. Prisoners aren't supposed to have hope; they are at the complete mercy of their captors. In the lobby he was surprised to find two familiar figures there standing beside his father's right-hand man Shikamaru.

"Konohamaru-sensei. Mitsuki. What are you guys doing here?" Boruto asked.

"I was wondering the same thing." his father added.

"I asked them to come here." Shikamaru answered. "Konohamaru was the leader of the mission that resulted in the leaf's first encounter with Haru Chinatsu. It seemed best that he be a part of this, and Mitsuki has something he'd like to share." He gestured over to Boruto's silver-haired friend. "But he'll share that after we talk to our prisoners." His father and Old Man Sasuke looked at Mitsuki with scrutinizing expressions, before following Shikamaru into the prison hold.

There were six relatively spacious glowing purple domes set up. Inside each was single person, whom Boruto assumed were Haru's men. Shikamaru turned to them. "Given our enemies' abilities we had to use special means of imprisoning them. It's special 7-layer barrier ninjutsu, that's as powerful as the one that was used to seal the Ten-Tails during the war." Shikamaru said.

"You didn't spare any effort coming up with this did you?" his father asked Shikamaru.

"It's not fool proof. Since these guys don't use chakra that runs out, but pure natural energy that's virtually infinite, this was actually the only thing we could do." There was a bit of disappointment in Shikamaru's voice. Boruto was just impressed by the sheer depth of what he was witnessing.

"You did good Shikamaru." He put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "So which of these guys is the leader?"

"It's him." Shikamaru took them to the dome that contained a man with long brown-hair. "He calls himself Jet. But he's the second-in-command. The guy you fought was the leader."

Jet was sitting on the floor meditating. He opened his eyes and smiled at them. A smile that seemed familiar. "How about that? Sasuke Uchiha from last night and the seventh hokage. And the two little genin from Haru's former town." He gestured to Boruto and Mitsuki. Boruto didn't recognize the man until Mitsuki spoke up.

"You're the man that Boruto and I fought on our mission aren't you?" Mitsuki wasn't asking, he was sure.

"That's right boys. Nice to see you again." He said to them mockingly. "So what exactly can I do for you?"

"Why did you kidnap my sister?!" Boruto spoke up first.

"Because you were a failure." Jet replied casually.

"What was-"

"Boruto." His father put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"What do you mean by that?" His father said taking over the conversation.

"Let me explain. Through you hokage, your children are descended from Hagoromo Otsutsuki, from the byakugan princess they are descended from Hamura Otsutsuki. Of course the merging of the two main bloodlines descended from Kaguya would produce something interesting to say the least. But as it seems only your daughter possesses that full power." Jet explained.

"You mean because my daughter possesses the byakugan and my son does not."

"Exactly. Your son is not weak by any means. He is simply of no use to us." Jet finished explaining. Boruto was having trouble getting to grips with this whole thing. These people wanted his sister because of her heritage, that wasn't fair by any means.

"So now we come to the next question. What did you plan to do with my daughter?" His father's tone was growing darker.

"Underneath this village through the Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine, you'll find your answer."

Old Man Sasuke seemed to be affected by Jet's explanation. It made sense considering his clan's relation to it. He turned to Sarada who was wearing a similar expression. _These two are more alike than either would care to admit_.

Now it was Old Man Sasuke's turn to ask the questions. He pulled out a small flat carving of wood from his pocket. "Does this mean anything to you?" He asked Jet.

He scrutinized the item that was held up to him. "It's nothing special. It's just part of story. There used be a tradition. A priest would wear a pendant like that that represented our people's state in relation to the descendants of the moon. The Otsutsuki had an affinity for the moon, and our people had a certain affinity for the sun. This one has partial eclipses on both sides representing our back and forth conflict with the Otsutsuki." Jet's explanation didn't make much sense. This talk of Otsutsuki and descendants of the moon didn't register with Boruto very well, but it seemed to make sense to his father and Sasuke.

"So what's the end of the story?" Old Man Sasuke asked.

"That should be obvious. Our people dwindled in population and were forced underground by the Otsutsuki. I'm betting that the pedant corresponding to our current state would have a solar eclipse on both sides." Jet sounded slightly melancholy.

"And what exactly are your people?" This time it was Konohamaru-sensei asking.

"We came to be called the Sol. But we are completely human." Jet sounded quite proud.

"How can any human have no chakra, and manipulate natural energy so flawlessly and without any repercussions?" His father asked.

"Time for a history lesson it seems." Jet sighed as he took a seat on the floor. "You see, before Kaguya Otsutsuki and her clan came down to Earth, humans had no concept of chakra, but they were far from powerless. Humans use whatever means came to them for war, one of those ways was the direct manipulation of pure natural energy. Mind you back then, the ones who learned that ability were those who had little interest in war, but participated nonetheless. They were travelers, nomads, vagabonds. Those who had time to learn it, instead of constantly warring. However, when Kaguya consumed the Chakra fruit and her sons Hagoromo and Hamura spread chakra throughout humanity, that foreign substance interfered with the flow of natural energy and humanity became unable to freely control natural energy as they once could. There were few who were able to escape that fate, and they came to be know as Sol. Due the sheer overwhelming numbers of the Chakra users as well the fact that there weren't as many military applications of natural energy as would be developed eventually, we were driven underground, using any means available to us to survive and keep our race from dying out." He finished his story. All this left Boruto overwhelmed. He'd learned the origins of chakra in just few minutes, but Boruto guessed there was something being hidden from him still. "Our abilities were viewed as threat to the dominance of the Otsutsuki. Natural energy can nullify any attacks using chakra as you've seen, of course even that is dependent and the power and skill of the user, but that didn't stop the chakra-users from trying to destroy our people."

Boruto wanted to learn more. He wanted to know more about all of this. "Alright. We'll come back and talk with you later. For now let's go." His father's words were very much an order from the hokage than simple instructions. He guessed he won't be learning anything more right now.

His father led them to room with a round table and chairs around. "Alright everyone. Take a seat." At his father's insistence everyone did just that. "Okay so next, I suppose is what Mitsuki has to share." His father held out a hand towards Mitsuki. All heads turned towards him. _Finally I might learn something more about him_.

"Thank you Lord Seventh. What I wanted to share was my father's identity." Mitsuki's announcement caused the anxiety in the room to escalate ten-fold.

"I thought you had partial amnesia. You can't remember the identity of your parents." His father said.

"My father taught me how to resist the Yamanaka clan's abilities for my own safety. He believed it would be best if I kept my heritage a secret."

Boruto's father and Sasuke gave Mitsuki a scrutinizing look as if they didn't trust him. "Why have you chosen to tell us your father's identity now?" Shikamaru spoke up.

"I believe that he may have knowledge about his situation that we should consult him about." Mitsuki said.

"So then who is your father?" Old Man Sasuke asked sternly.

"Orochimaru." That was it. Everything went dead silent in the room. He looked around the table to see that he was the only one whose jaw hadn't dropped. He assumed it was because everyone here knew who this Orochimaru was. It annoyed Boruto to be completely out of the loop like this.

"So who's Orochimaru?" Boruto asked to break the silence.

"He's-" Mitsuki began to answer before being cut off.

"Wait. You're serious?" Konohamaru-sensei spoke up.

"Yes." Mitsuki sounded completely nonchalant. The weight of the news that hit everyone else clearly wasn't bothering Mitsuki. "I think it would be a great idea to go and see him."

Konohamaru-sensei was clenching his fists. Whoever this Orochimaru person was. It was clear that his sensei was not fond of him. Whatever history they had must not have been pleasant. After a moment of silent thought Boruto's father got up with a sigh. "Alright. Thanks for the information Mitsuki, but I believe you understand the nature the Village's relationship with your father." Boruto's father was trying to sound comforting to Mitsuki.

"Of course. It was merely a suggestion." Mitsuki didn't seem bothered at all.

"Alright then. Sasuke will be in charge of going under the Uchiha's Naka shrine to find whatever it is Jet wants us to find. In the meantime. I will be sending Team Konohamaru to go meet up with Orochimaru." Boruto's father said it like it was a decree. He turned to his sensei, who clearly didn't like this idea. Old Man Sasuke seemed to be looking the same way. "Alright then. Dismissed." With that everyone left their seats.

Boruto's father left for the hokage's office with Shikamaru. Mitsuki and Konohamaru-sensei returned to their respective homes to retrieve their belongings for their journey. Thus, leaving Boruto to return with Sarada and her father. The walk back to the house was rather quiet. Not a word passed between the three of them. Boruto's mind kept going to this Orochimaru, and what he was like. He wondered if he and Mitsuki looked the same or acted the same, and what he could tell them about the man who killed his aunt and attacked his family. "So who's this Orochimaru guy again?" He wasn't asking anyone in particular but he hoped someone would answer.

"He's my old mentor." Old Man Sasuke spoke up.

"Really? What's he like?" Boruto didn't realize Old Man Sasuke and Orochimaru would connected like this

"You'll see."

Judging by Old Man Sasuke's response he could tell that Sasuke and Orochimaru weren't on the best of terms.

"You forgot to mention he was rogue ninja." Sarada suddenly spoke up. Her voice drenched in annoyance. Immediately afterwards, her father shot her a look, that did not seem to have its intended affect. "He only received amnesty from the leaf because of he helped in the 4th great ninja war. And he wasn't the only one."

"So there were a _bunch_ of these rogue ninjas who helped the ninja alliance huh?" Boruto was intrigued by this new information. Most people didn't like to talk about the war. All Boruto really knew was that his and Sarada's fathers were instrumental in the ninja alliance gaining victory in it. Other details included the reanimation of deceased, legendary ninja, as well the enemy known as the Akatsuki. Most of what he knew about it though was quite vague.

Upon entrance, Boruto and Sarada's respective mothers came up to them. "Are you two alright?" Aunt Sakura asked.

"Yeah. We're fine mom." Sarada replied for both of them. Boruto's own mother gave him a very worried look. It was the sort of look that made a person want to reveal every secret on every crime they'd ever committed. But instead she merely took Boruto in her arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Boruto was glad she didn't implore on what happened at the interrogation division.

"So what's going on?" Boruto's mother asked.

"Dad wants Old Man Sasuke to investigate some info. one the prisoners gave us." Boruto answered.

"Okay." His mother acknowledged.

"'Old Man Sasuke'" Sarada's mother laughed. Sasuke simply sunk his head in embarrassment. "So what are you two getting ready for?" She turned to him and Sarada.

"Oh. My Dad wants Team Konohamaru to meet Mitsuki's dad." Boruto replied.

"Huh. So Mitsuki _has_ a dad?" Aunt Sakura said. "Who is it?"

"Orochimaru." Old Man Sasuke answered. The reactions following were more or less what Boruto expected.

"There's no way I'm letting my son go to meet him!" Boruto's mother exclaimed.

"Same goes for Sarada!" Aunt Sakura agreed with his mother. "Don't tell me you're okay with this." She said to her husband.

"Well in manner of speaking I'm not, but I'm still letting them. It was Naruto's idea anyway." Old Man Sasuke sounded nervous. "I know how you feel about him. But my old Taka members are there and I doubt they have anything weird planned." Sasuke's voice became confident now. There was some deep tension in the room regarding the news. No one spoke for some time.

"Alright. She can go." Aunt Sakura relented, but it was clear that there was more she wanted to say.

Boruto's own mother came up to him. "You can go too Boruto. But make sure you're careful around him. He can't be easily trusted." His mother was stern.

"Yes Mom." Boruto took his mother's words to heart. They were going to meet up with a former rogue ninja after all. He had to keep his guard up regardless of this Orochimaru's relationship with the leaf.

Boruto and Sarada went upstairs to pack their things where they were met by Hima. "You guys going on another mission?" She sounded disappointed.

"Yeah. Dad want's us to go meet Old Man Sasuke's old teacher." Boruto replied. Hima seemed rather disappointed before she put a smile on her face.

"Alright. Come back safe you dummy."

"Hey. Who you calling dummy? Of course I'll come back safe." He grinned at his sister.

"Don't worry Hima. I'll take care of this idiot." Sarada jumped in.

"Hey!" Boruto whined.

"You come back safe too. It gets boring hanging out with just Boruto. He can be such a sissy." Hima said pointing to her brother.

"Yeah I know." Sarada laughed with Hima about Boruto. While Boruto tried fruitlessly to refute their claims.

* * *

The seventh hokage's decision slightly caught Mitsuki off guard. Not because he didn't expect him to agree, but because he agreed right away. As for everyone else' reaction, Mitsuki had expected it. He particularly understood Konohamaru-sensei and Mr. Uchiha's actions, given their respective histories with Mitsuki's father.

He finished packing whatever essentials he believed he would need. He walked over to the sun blade on display on his wall. He turned the blade in his hand, deciding that it would be best for him to take this as well. Now that the Black Sun had made a move on the leaf he had protect this at all costs. He packed that in his bag as well. He then exited his home, locked the door and made his way towards the Village's main gate.

He found the rest of Team Konohamaru already waiting there for him. "Hey Mitsuki. What took you so long?" Boruto asked him.

"Just had to gather some last minute things. Is everyone else ready?"

"Yeah." Boruto and Sarada replied simultaneously. He turned to Konohamaru-sensei who gave him an almost distrusting look. Mitsuki decided to simply simile at him and Konohamaru-sensei did his best to smile back at him.

"Alright since we're all aware of the general situation we should just head out." Konohamaru-sensei began. "Unlike our last mission which initially didn't seem to have any direct result on the affairs of our village, this mission will. We are going to consult with Mitsuki's father about the enemy who attacked the hokage's family last night." Everyone acknowledged the sensei. "Alright let's move out. This time we can't afford waste a minute." With that the whole team began their run towards his father's hideout.

Throughout the journey not a word passed between the four of them. There was some kind of distrust hanging on the air. It didn't bother Mitsuki in the slightest though. He was well aware of how upsetting the situation must be for them. It didn't matter. He had a mission to accomplish so he would keep his mind on that.

"This place is weird." Boruto said commenting on the exterior of the hideout they arrived at after sometime. It _was_ rather strange. There was something like a shed acting as hood over a staircase that led underground. Konohamaru-sensei was in front, leading them as if they were in enemy territory. Mitsuki supposed that for Konohamaru-sensei this _was_ enemy territory. Once they'd descended the stairs they came into a dimly lit hallway that created the atmosphere of a place where no one should be. They heard footsteps coming there way. Konohamaru-sensei signaled for them to hide behind a wall.

"You guys can come out!" A female voice said. "We know your there. We're not gonna hurt you." She sounded slightly annoyed.

"Well that's debatable." A male voice said. The next sound was that of the male being hit by the female and a splash of water.

"I know that voice." Sarada stepped out. Mitsuki and Boruto followed as Konohamaru sensei jumped in front of them as if to face off against these two people. The male had silver hair and purple eyes. The other had red hair and wore glasses just like Sarada's.

"Well how about that. It's Sarada." The silver-haired man sounded happy.

"Sarada?" The red-haired woman came over to Sarada to give her a hug.

"You've grown so much. Oh you look just like your father." She kept talking like she knew Sarada.

"You must be Karin." Sarada said with a mile. "My parents told me all about you. It's nice to meet you."

"She sure didn't get her manners from Sasuke." The silver-haired man said.

"Shut up Suigetsu." Karin snapped at him. Mitsuki was rather amused by the whole scene. He heard his father had helpers he didn't expect this though.

"Alright. Alright." Konohamaru-sensei clearly annoyed and uneasy about this whole situation. "Where's Orochimaru?"

Suigetsu and Karin looked at him confused. "Who the hell is this guy?" Suigetsu asked.

Karin looked at the sensei for a minute before her her expression softened. "Konohamaru Sarutobi." She sounded sympathetic. "Follow me."

Suigetsu was complaining about not understanding the situation one bit while Karin simply ignored him. She spoke with Sarada as she led them towards Mitsuki's father.

He led them to a room that looked something like a library. In the desk sat his father with orange haired-man he'd never seen before. "Lord Orochimaru. We have visitors."

His father looked up. He looked exactly as he remembered. Pale complexion, golden-eyes, long black hair tied in a pony-tail, and looking far too young. "Well how about this." His father said with a smile. "So the prodigal son returns."

"Hey father." Mitsuki stepped forward. His father's helpers seemed dumbfounded about the whole situation. They began asking their boss about how and when he had a son, but he simply dodged their questions. _Just like I remember him_.

"It seems that young Konohamaru and Sasuke's daughter are here as well. And a boy who I can only assume to be the hokage's son." His father said with smirk. "This is an interesting team you have here Mitsuki."

"Yeah they _are_ interesting." Mitsuki replied. "You've also got yourself some interesting new helpers."

"By no means. They simply weren't around last time we met. They are the former members of the organization Sasuke formed many years ago." His father explained. "You've already met Suigetsu Hozuki and Karin." He motioned to the two people they met in the hallway. "And this is Jugo." He motioned to orange-haired man.

"It nice to meet you." Jugo said respectfully.

Mitsuki simply bowed back.

"That's enough idle chit-chat." Konohamaru-sensei cut in. "Orochimaru. What can you tell us about the Sol?"

"Right to the point Konohamaru." Mitsuki's father grinned. "I like that. Just like the third hokage."

Konohamaru-sensei gritted his teeth at that.

"Now how exactly do you even know about the Sol?" His father asked.

"Last night. They tried to kidnap my sister." Boruto spoke up.

"Oh-ho. They tried to kidnap the hokage's daughter? How bold." His father face had gotten serious. He almost looked interested. "I'm assuming they failed."

"That's right." Konohamaru-sensei answered. "The enemy leader, Haru Chinatsu escaped after a clash with the hokage, and the six others that were with him surrendered."

"Interesting. So I'm assuming you've executed the prisoners after interrogating them."

"No. That's not how we do things. They surrendered of their own free will." The sensei replied proudly.

"Exactly. The fact that they surrendered of their own free will means that there is some greater purpose behind this situation." His father explained. "You should've executed them, so as to halt their plan before it begins."

"That's what you would've done. Right?" The sensei's tone was becoming threatening.

"Of course." Mitsuki's father sounded unaffected. "It's only logical. It's all well and good to observe the actions of your enemies by letting them live. But once you've learned all you can, you must dispose of them so they cannot exact their plan. You should've killed them after extracting any information you could from them." He finished.

Konohamaru-sensei stepped forward to make a comeback, but Mitsuki spoke first. "Father. Is there anything you can tell us about these Sol?" He gave his father a knowing look and his father returned it.

"Very well then. Everyone, please sit." His father had his helpers bring forth chairs for themselves as well as Team Konohamaru. Once everyone was seated, his father began explaining the history of the Sol that was more or less the same as what Jet had told them. Then he began to talk about the Black Sun. "The Black Sun is the name of underground organization consisting entirely of Sol. I have been observing them since long before the 4th great ninja war. They originated overseas but then migrated here after the conclusion of the war."

"So what are their goals?" His sensei asked. Though it sounded more like an order than anything.

"As the ones who are like the humans before the arrival of the Otsutsuki, their original goals were simply take back the world that had fallen _under the control_ of chakra." His father replied. "However, eight years ago, they began to change tactics."

"How do you mean?" Konohamaru-sensei asked.

"Originally they simply hired out their services as ninja-killers. Their abilities made them quite fearsome at it as you can imagine. But eight years ago they became more violent. They began killing without prior incentive or a goal. Their targets went from ninja to just about anyone you could think of."

"Why is that?"

"Not sure. Perhaps they changed leadership at some point." His father finished. "Anything else?"

Konohamaru-sensei was giving his father a death glare. "No. That was all. We'll be going now, but expect to be contacted again." Konohamaru-sensei motioned fro the team to leave.

"Wait." His father said. "I haven't seen my son in many years. Would deprive me of the chance to spend some quality time with him?"

Konohamaru-sensei gave both Mitsuki and his father distrusting looks. "Fine. But don't be too long Mitsuki."

"Yes sensei." Mitsuki replied. With that his team and his father's helpers exited the room. His father sat back down behind his desk.

"They really are an interesting bunch Mitsuki. How do like them?" His father asked.

"Very much actually." Mitsuki replied. "I'm glad to have friends like them, though they can be a bit rambunctious sometimes." Mitsuki sat down across from his father. "I really wish you wouldn't antagonize Konohamaru-sensei so much though."

"I couldn't help it. He reminds me so much of his grandfather. I told you about him right?"

"Yes. And the circumstances of his death." Mitsuki made his tone as serious as he could. He wouldn't define his father by his previous crimes, but he wouldn't let them be forgotten so easily either.

"You really have grown into quite the ninja haven't you?" His father didn't sound proud. He was stating as a matter-of-fact.

"Yeah. I guess I have. That Leaf's been good to me, in spite of their distrust of me."

"That's good to hear. So Mitsuki, I doubt you came for the same reason as the rest of your team. Am I correct?"

Mitsuki smiled at how sharp his father was. He reached into his back and pulled out the sun blade. "Father. I need your help."

"You mother's sun blade. So you kept it after all these years?" His father sounded nostalgic.

"What should I do? Why did the sun choose me?" Mitsuki tried to sound as calm as he could, but in truth he was desperate for answers.


	12. Chapter 12: Preparations

"And that's how it happened." Suigetsu had at last finished the tale to which Boruto and his sensei were forced to listen to since Mitsuki and his father had been spending over thirty minutes talking. Sarada and Karin were off to the side discussing a topic that was of apparent interest to both. Jugo stood stoically off further to the side like wolf guarding his den.

Boruto had paid no attention to Suigetsu. His mind had been on the eccentric Orochimaru. Apparently Sarada had encountered him once before, during her quest to meet her father thus, it was natural that she feel less affected by him than Boruto. This man was incredibly young. It was as if he were Mitsuki's elder brother rather than his father. But he spoke with the confidence and surety of an old man who had been a ninja for several decades, even longer than Boruto's own father and Old Man Sasuke. His appearance was quite similar to Mitsuki's. A pale complexion, golden eyes, and quite lean and tall. His long black hair was the only difference. His demeanor however, was far more threatening than Mitsuki's. Simply being in his presence had been enough to send Boruto's reaching for his weapon's pouch. The aura about him was one of great power. Mitsuki was right. For him to be Old Man Sasuke's mentor put him at a level of power similar to the legendary Uchiha.

What surprised him most was how casually Orochimaru and Mitsuki spoke to each other. They were father and son, and had not seen each other for years, yet they spoke to each other as if they were business partners discussing a deal rather than family members who'd been separated for a long time. He realized how alike Mitsuki and his father were, but they were also very different. He couldn't place his finger on it, but Mitsuki seemed to possess a sort of loyalty lacked by his father. But that should be expected since Orochimaru was once a rogue ninja. A ninja who defected from his village and marked to be taken dead-or-alive. He wondered what it was that caused him to want to help the ninja alliance during the war. He didn't seem to be the sort of man who didn't do anything if didn't suit him.

"Say Suigetsu." Boruto said addressing the older man. "What made you guys want to work for Orochimaru? Why not just stick with Sasuke?"

Suigetsu rubbed his chin as if he had an imaginary beard. "Well I suppose, it's very much because Sasuke asked us."

"Say what?" Konohamaru-sensei suddenly said. _So even he's interested in this._

"Yeah." Suigetsu said as if it were obvious. "I mean it's not like he threatened to kill us or anything. It was a more of a suggestion. You see, Sasuke doesn't completely trust Orochimaru." Suigetsu said.

"So, what? You guys are here keeping tabs on Orochimaru for Old Man Sasuke?" Boruto said.

"More or less. It also seemed like the option that was least boring. None of us would last in an ordinary ninja village without losing our minds. But we would've found something else to do if Sasuke didn't come to us with this idea."

"You guys really are loyal to him huh?"

"Yeah. It's a pain but he's kind of the guy that gave us freedom. Originally we were just experiments for Orochimaru before the war who's actually gotten a lot better by the way. At least for Orochimaru. But back to Sasuke, he freed us for his little vengeance quest. Of course it was also because it suited him and he got us into a lot of deep shit, and we our ups and downs. But that didn't matter, he gave us a chance to be something again." Suigetsu sounded like he was reciting a monologue. "Man. That was really sappy. Don't tell Sasuke I said any of that. I'm gonna go get a drink of water." Suigetsu turned the corner and was gone.

"Damn. Sasuke's got himself a one loyal batch of misfits." Konohamaru scoffed, to no one in particular. It sounded like he was surprised, that Sasuke could inspire this kind of loyalty. So was Boruto. He'd always heard how Sasuke was a loner who wasn't really good at leading people. But these 'members of Taka' were loyal to him in spite of that. They knew he wasn't an ideal leader but they stuck with him not out of fear but out of true loyalty. Boruto always viewed Old Man Sasuke as just a powerful ninja. Now Boruto felt like he was falling in awe of the man all over again and he wasn't completely sure why.

Konohamaru-sensei left to go talk to Jugo. He supposed it was because of all the people here, he seemed to be the most normal, but since he was a former experiment of Orochimaru, there had to be more to him. This left Boruto alone again. Not that he minded. Loneliness was something both his father and Old Man Sasuke had been through and it made them strong. From that he was able to deduce that there must quite a bit to gain from the sole company of one's self.

Boruto heard footsteps coming down the hall. He turned to see Mitsuki walking towards with a light smile on his face as if he enjoyed the conversation with his father. "Alright, I'm ready to go." Mitsuki announced to them. Boruto looked behind Mitsuki to see Orochimaru coming up as well. His footsteps were as silent as shadows. _Impressive_ _._

"Well it's been nice having you here." Orochimaru said. "Have a safe journey back home." There was sly grin on his face.

Konohamaru-sensei scoffed. "Let's go Mitsuki. Sarada. Boruto."

Sarada and Karin said goodbye to each other. Suigetsu came stumbling back down the hall and waved goodbye with a jug of water in his hand. Jugo simply remained where he was, bowing respectfully to Konohamaru-sensei as he left. Konohamaru-sensei stole one last glare at Orochimaru before leading Boruto and the team away.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura walked towards the Naka Shrine sided by side. Though Sasuke had been apprehensive Sakura had insisted she join him as his wife. It was not that Sasuke did trust Sakura it was something else. He simply wished he knew what it was. "Sasuke?" His wife's voice brought him back to reality.

"Oh. What?" He stammered out.

"We're here." She said.

"Right. I'll get it opened up." Sasuke looked down at the stone slab that guarded the entrance underground. It had a sharingan with four line coming off of it. Originally this truly was a shrine, but during the attack of Akatsuki proxy leader, Pain it was destroyed. It remained that way long after the 4th great ninja war. He didn't complain.

Sasuke performed the necessary seals and the stone slab slid away. "Whoa." Sakura gasped. It was her first time coming here so her surprise was expected. Sasuke led her down the dark stairs holding her hand. At the bottom of the stairs they reached the small room with torches and the Uchiha Stone tablet sitting at the end of it. Sasuke and Sakura walked over to it. Sasuke moved aside the hair from the left side of his face revealing his rinnegan and used it to read the stone tablet. There was nothing on the table that he didn't already know. "Sasuke?" Sakura spoke. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh. It's nothing. It's just that there isn't anything written here that I don't already know." Sasuke replied still looking over the tablet.

"I see. So that Jet person sent us on wild goose chase?" Sakura said.

"No." Sasuke turned to his wife. "Jet and the rest Haru's men surrendered of their own free will meaning that there is some plan they hope to implement while they're here. They wouldn't send us here for something that we already know about."

"So there's something here that you haven't discovered yet." Sakura finished for him.

"Exactly. Let's search the room and see what we can find."

"Got it." Sakura acknowledged him and began looking around the room and sliding her hands along the walls. Sasuke used his rinnegan to search thinking that there might be something something that only such an eye could see. Unfortunately all he was able to see was what he had already seen. There was nothing here of interest at all. "Sasuke. come over here." Sakura said to him. Sasuke obeyed his wife who was tinkering with a tile on the wall. "Check this out." She pushed her fingers against the tile and to his surprise, a glowing vertical line appeared in the center and the tile literally opened inwards like a tiny door. It revealed a small round crevice and there was a red gem in the center of it.

"What is that?" Sasuke asked.

"You got me." Sakura said. Sasuke had no idea what to make of this. He reached his hand into the crevice and plucked out the red gem.

"What do you think?" He turned to Sakura. He handed the gem to her and she turned it in her hand examining it like it was a piece of jewellery.

"Well there's nothing to think. It's just some red gem, maybe a ruby. Maybe Jet wanted us to find this and- wait a minute." She began scrutinizing it.

"What is it?" Sasuke was getting more confused now. He didn't like that.

She ran over to one of the torches of the wall and put the gem it. Sasuke was shocked. "Wait. What are you-" He stopped as he witnessed the flame turn a true shade of deep blood red. "What is this?" Sasuke was absolutely dumbstruck.

"It's amber." Sakura replied.

"But isn't amber supposed to be yellow or orange?" Sasuke asked.

"Normally yes. I don't know why it's so red but just by the feel and smell of it, I know it's amber. There's nothing else like it."

"And how did you know to throw it in the fire?"

She shook her head in annoyance. "Don't you know amber is flammable like coal. There's torches in the room and we find a piece of amber in the wall. You just have to put two and two together."

"Alright. No need to be hurtful. I'm sorry I'm not as obsessed with jewellery as you." He said with a smirk.

"Men." she scoffed. She took the torch and began searching the room again She took the torch up and down along the walls; back forth across the floor. While the walls revealed nothing else, Sasuke and Sakura both noticed every time the red light of the torch passed over the middle floor there red glowing markings appeared on it.

"Sakura."

"Yeah."

There was no need for further words to pass between them. They both knew what had to be done. Sakura threw torch directly in the center of the room. Instantly, intricate glowing red marking appeared on the floor in the shape large rectangle as the torch's red light spread out in all directions. "What is this?" The awe in Sakura's voice reflected exactly how he was feeling in this moment. There was so much about the sacred grounds of his clan that he didn't know that some outsiders did. "Sasuke, let's go tell Naruto about this." Sakura said.

"No." Sasuke tried to sound as firm as possible without sounding rude.

"What are you talking about?"

"There's more to this."

"What? Can your rinnegan see something?"

"Not my rinnegan. But there _is_ something else to this. I can't leave 'till I figure figure out exactly what it is." He looked his wife directly in the eye.

"Sasuke. I know what this means to you but we shouldn't dig any deeper yet." Sakura's voice indicated that she holding back her frustration at Sasuke's stubbornness.

"Sakura. I have to dig deeper. There are secrets here hidden beneath the sacred grounds of my clan. I can't leave this." He gave Sakura a determined look. "Why don't you go back and report to Naruto? I'll dig deeper." He could tell by the look in Sakura's eye that the last thing she wanted to do was give in to his words.

"Sasuke. There really is no point in me reporting to Naruto without your presence. After all this is your clan's shrine, and your mission." Sakura was right in every way. This was his mission thus, he had to report to Naruto. He prepared himself to relent. "I guess the only thing for me to do is to stay here beside you." There was great reassuring smile upon her face. Sasuke was shocked beyond all reason.

"Are you serious? I mean you are right with what you said before." Sasuke was in fact glad that Sakura had agreed, but it wasn't expected on any level whatsoever that she would.

"Of course I'm right with what I said before." She said it with what was almost arrogance. "But this is important to you, so it's important to me. After all I'm part of the Uchiha clan too."

Sasuke wanted to run up to her and kiss her. She truly was an amazing woman, and too good for him. Instead he simply smiled and nodded as humbly as he could as she came up beside him.

"Alright. So what now?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke was actually caught off guard. He'd been so concerned with the idea of secrets beneath Uchiha grounds that he'd forgotten that they had no idea what these markings on the floor meant. "I have no idea. Maybe we should go get Shikamaru."

"No way." Sakura stamped her foot. "I am not letting that lazy Shikamaru figure out all the matters of my family before me."

"But Sakura-"

"But what?" Her voice was a fierce as lioness's roar. There was no way he could argue with her now.

"Nothing." _When did I become the rational one?_

They stood there staring at the red on the floor, trying make some sort of sense of it. _Perhaps Jet would understand._ No. He could go back to him. He could not give that man another chance to manipulate them. The markings were in the shape of a rectangle. It was on the floor in the middle of the room. "It's another door." He said as realization hit him.

"A door on the floor?" Sakura didn't sound confused, simply surprised.

"That's right. There has to be way to open it. A lock, a key, a password, something."

"Hey look at this." Sakura knelt to the ground looking at a intricate making that seemed significantly longer in length that the others. "It's a door right? What if this is the handle?" It wasn't a question. Sasuke had been thinking the same thing.

"Right. So now we need to figure out how to open it."

Sakura was already on the task. With his rinnegan he saw her inject her chakra directly into the area of the marking for what seemed to be the door handle. For a moment nothing happened. _So much for that idea._ Suddenly the ground began tremble however lightly. The area encompassed by the rectangle of red glowing markings began to raise on the side closest to them while the other end remained where it was as the torch rolled off and was extinguished by the time it reached the bottom. The raised piece of floor revealed another flight of stairs descending towards darkness. "Sakura." He said to his wife.

"Let's go." Sakura declared picking up the left over torch from the room they were already in as she led them down into the dark. Sasuke marveled at Sakura's determination as he followed her down.

It was a rather long flight of stairs. There were cracks in the steps, walls, and the annoyingly low ceiling. Every now and then he'd take a step and part of the stone at his feet would chip off. Sasuke wondered when it would end, or if there was anything at the bottom at all and Jet really had sent them on a wild goose chase. This staircase was clearly old and suffering from disuse.

Finally, the staircase ended and next was a hallway which was in a similar condition to the the stairs. Sasuke and Sakura dutifully followed it.

Suddenly the hallway expended into a vast dark room with the smell oil on the air. He turned to his side and could make out something like a channel built into the wall. It was in this channel that the scent of oil was strongest. "Sakura could I have the torch for a moment?"

"Sure." She handed Sasuke torch which he touched to the channel. As he expected, the flames ran along the channel until flames surrounded the room. In the center stood something of the likes of which neither Sasuke nor Sakura had seen. There were four pillars on top of each was a great red orb made of what he assumed to be the same red amber from the stone table room. These pillars were surrounding a true bed of rock, which was absent of pillows or sheets. The sides of the bed had rivers of gold running along them. "It's beautiful." Sakura said. She'd voiced his own thoughts as well. It truly was a sight to behold.

Sasuke and Sakura approached the bed of rock. On it was a flat, square piece of wood, just like the pendant he found on his mission. Sasuke held it up. There was an image of a lunar eclipse on both sides. "What's that?" His wife spoke.

"It's a pendant like the one I found on my mission." Sasuke replied. He quickly recounted what Jet had told them regarding these pendants.

"This one has a lunar eclipse on both sides." Sakura stated. "Any idea what that means?" Sakura wasn't asking what the symbols meant. He knew his wife wasn't stupid. They both knew that this pendant represented the victory of the sol over the descendants of the moon. The only problem was that the sol hadn't won. _Not yet_.

"Sasuke?" Sakura spoke to him.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm just trying to make some kind of sense out of all this." He turned his around scanning the room. "Four pillars. Red amber orbs on top of each one. A bed of rock in the center. And a pendant indicating the victory of the sol." He held his head in his hand. _What does all this mean?_ He slowly raised his head having figured out the answer. "It's a sacrificial altar." Sasuke stated with a gasp. His fingers almost dropped the pendant.

"No. They were going to sacrifice Himawari." Sakura sounded shocked. "Why?"

"I think now would be a good time to go report to Naruto."

"I agree. But first we should destroy this place."

Sasuke readied a chidori and Sakura, her fists. They simultaneously struck the bed of rock. Sasuke felt himself blown back as if there were some invisible wind surrounding the altar. He turned to Sakura lying on the ground beside him. She must've been hit by it too. "What the hell happened?" Sakura groaned as she got back up.

"Of course we can't destroy this thing. Some sort barrier must be around it or maybe it can't be touched with ninjutsu." Sasuke said.

"Point is we can't destroy it." Sakura finished for him. "The best thing we can do is report to Naruto."

"Right." He turned back to the altar that seemed so beautiful at first. Now it seemed like the most hideous thing in existence.

* * *

The seventh hokage slammed his fist into the desk. _They want to sacrifice my daughter?_ He sat back and ran his prosthetic hand through his hair. "I can't believe this." Naruto looked back up at Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru. "And this pendant." He held it up. "I'm guessing that by- by sacrificing Hima, they'll be able to claim victory for the sol."

"That seems to be the case." Sasuke's voice had the utmost sympathy in it.

"Sakura. I want you to return home. Break the news to Hinata." He said his pink-haired friend.

"Right." She turned and left with an apologetic look in her eye.

He now turned to the remaining two men in the room. Sasuke, his best friend. Shikamaru, his right-hand man. "It was naive of me to think that my family would never be in this kind of danger. After all they're the family of the hokage."

"Naruto." Shikamaru addressed by his first name. That meant he had something incredibly important to say. "Please. Allow me to place security around your daughter. No, your whole family." Shikamaru sounded sincere.

"You're free to do so. But I don't know how much help it's going to be. Haru Chinatsu has proven that ordinary guards won't be enough to stop him."

"Yeah, but this isn't ordinary security." Shikamaru replied. Immediately some sand began blowing in through the open window. It began to settle on the floor beside Shikamaru in the form of man. Recognizable features began to appear on this shape. Well-combed red hair, the kanji for 'love' on the left side of his forehead, and a gourd hanging from his side.

"G-Gaara." He was almost in awe, that his friend the fifth kazekage had shown up here at such a time.

"Hello Naruto. I had planned to come here for vacation to visit my sister and her family." He bowed lightly to Shikamaru who returned the gesture. "But I received word from Shikamaru about the attack against your family, and decided that I'd like to help in any way I can." The kazekage sounded sincere and determined.

"Gaara this Haru Chinatsu isn't an ordinary opponent. I was having a hard time keeping up with when we fought and I doubt he was using the full extent of his abilities then."

"Naruto. I've been to your interrogation division and am well aware of the magnitude of the threat that we face, but I'm here as your friend, and because of that I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to help you." The kazekage spoke softly yet firmly. Naruto and this man went far back. He was aware that now that the kazekage had made up his mind, he would not abandon this in the middle of it.

Naruto heard Shikamaru clear his throat to speak. "I've also got the sixth hokage to agree. He was supposed to be here, but I'm guessing he got 'lost on the path of life.' And lastly I sent for Killer Bee from the Hidden Cloud who's currently on his way to the Leaf. He said he said he'd be happy to come and rap for your kids." Shikamaru said with proud smile on his face.

"Hold on, hold on." Sasuke said waving his hands. "Just how many people do you think my house can take?" He said to Shikamaru.

"He's correct brother." Gaara said addressing Shikamaru. "Sasuke's house isn't quite as spacious as yours and Temari's."

"Wait. What are trying to say here?" Sasuke turned to Gaara with an annoyed look on his face.

"I mean no offense. I passed by your residence on my way here. It was merely an observation about howmuch significantly smaller your house is than Shikamaru's."

Sasuke continued to argue against Gaara, while the latter simply replied in his honest, polite, and matter-of-fact tone. Naruto couldn't help but smile at his right-hand man. _He really pulled out all the stops for this._

The door to his office flung open suddenly and Team Konohamaru stepped through. "Lord Hokage we have-" Konohamaru stopped in his track at the sight of the kazekage. "Lord Kazekage?" Konohamaru's dumbfounded face actually managed to amuse Naruto.

"The kazekage? Cool." Sarada exclaimed as she ran up to him and Konohamaru tried in vain to keep to hold her back.

Gaara knelt down with a smile on his face. "Guilty as charged. And who might you be my beautiful kunoichi?"

"She's my daughter. Sarada." Sasuke spoke up which made Sarada scowl. A reaction that slightly surprised Naruto. _What's going on between them?_

"Sarada. You have a beautiful name. It's an honor to meet you." Gaara put his hand to his heart and bowed very gentlemanly making Sarada blush.

"Your such fan-girl Sarada." This time it was Naruto own son that came forward and began teasing Sarada. She immediately whipped her head around to look him dead in the eye. Naruto half expected her to use her sharingan.

"Shut up you moron." Sarada snapped.

"What? Are you gonna ask for his autograph next?" Boruto sad as he put his hands on his cheeks mocking a real fan-girl.

"You picking a fight?!"

"No. But if you want to fight I'll give you one! But don't think I'll go easy on you just 'cause you're a girl."

"That's fine. And don't think I'll go easy on you just cause you're a sissy!"

"What was that!?"

Boruto and Sarada continued to bicker. Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Boruto and Sarada reminded him so much of himself and Sasuke when they were younger, right down to the insults they both used. Albeit Sarada used insults that were more like Naruto's while Boruto used insults more like Sasuke's. Just as the two were about to throw a punch at each other poor Konohamaru stepped in, no doubt with the intent to stop them only to receive the full brunt his students' attacks which caused him to collapse to the floor. Next, Boruto and Sarada started bickering over who knocked out their sensei first. Although Naruto couldn't tell if it was to decide who to put the blame on, or who threw the stronger punch. Naruto sighed with a smile. Even in the midst of this crisis, Naruto was glad to find that these kids had the time to bicker over the silliest of things.

He looked over at Mitsuki who diligently stood to the side and was also smiling. Naruto however, caught a different look in eyes Orochimaru's son. There was a certain forlornness in those golden eyes. It reminded him of himself when he was the boy's age and was ostracized by the village.

"Alright!" Sasuke firmly stamped his foot. Immediately the two children went silent. "Thank you." He said politely afterwards. Gaara sighed as if he had been enjoying the display. Shikamaru closed as eyes as if he thought this whole situation was a drag.

Naruto took a deep a breath. "Konohamaru. On your feet."

The jonin instantly scrambled to obey the hokage's order. "Sir."

"Boruto. Sarada." He turned to the children and smiled at them. "You two return back to the Uchiha household without killing each other on the way."

Boruto and Sarada glared lightning bolts at each other as if they no intention of honoring the hokage's wishes.

"Hey." Naruto tried to hold back his laughter at the whole situation. "Your mothers will have something important they'd like to share with you when you get home. It's best if you don't keep them waiting." Naruto didn't have the heart to tell them the situation himself. He looked over at Sasuke who he guessed was feeling the same way.

"Fine." The two children acknowledged reluctantly.

"Mitsuki. Konohamaru. I'd like you to stay here."

"Me?" Mitsuki didn't really sound like he was surprised.

"Yes." Naruto spoke softly. "I was wondering if I could discuss something with you."

"Alright." Mitsuki replied dutifully.

Gaara and Sarada said goodbye to each other as she and Boruto walked out the door. "They remind of two people i know all too well." Gaara looked at both Naruto and Sasuke with a nostalgic smile on his face.

"Isn't that the truth." Shikamaru added.

Sasuke scoffed at the situation as if he were in embarrassment, and Naruto simply smiled guiltily. "Mitsuki. You can come over." Naruto meant for it sound like it was a question and the boy answered by walking forth and joining the men around the hokage's desk. "Gaara this is Mitsuki."

Mitsuki bowed respectfully to the kazekage and the latter returned the action.

"This is the son of Orochimaru." Naruto spoke regretfully. He didn't want the kazekage to be out of the loop in this situation in any way though.

"Is that right?" Gaara asked the boy, intrigued.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Mitsuki replied stoically. Gaara didn't implore the matter any further. Naruto was glad of that. Though it should be expected given that Gaara also understood how it felt to be discriminated against for circumstances beyond one's control.

"Now Konohamaru. What did Orochimaru tell you about our enemies?" Naruto wanted to get right to the point.

"Well Mitsuki was right to consult him. He told us about an organization of Sol known as the Black Sun. They originally operated overseas but then migrated here following the conclusion of the 4th great ninja war. They began hiring out their services as ninja killers."

"Ninja killers?" Gaara interrupted.

"Yeah. These guys are able to use natural energy to counter ninjutsu. They would be the best at killing ninja. Then eight years ago. The Black Sun apparently began acting more violently and erratically. Killing without cause nor prior incentive. Orochimaru suspects that a change in leadership may be the reason."

"I'm guessing leadership changed to Haru Chinatsu." Naruto inferred.

"Likely." Shikamaru said.

"This Haru Chinatsu sounds like a real psychopath." Gaara said.

"Yeah. He does, but an intelligent and powerful psychopath." Naruto said. "Anything else?"

"Not really." Konohamaru replied. "Her said how we should've executed our prisoners right after interrogating them."

"Of course he did." Naruto gritted his teeth. He didn't like Orochimaru one bit. He may have helped in the war and received amnesty for it, but that didn't qualify him to make judgements on the way the Leaf Village runs their business. He exhaled slowly. "Alright, I'll get the other details from you later. Next, Mitsuki I'd like to discuss some things with you."

The young boy stepped forth. Part of Naruto wished he didn't have to speak to the poor boy about what he was about to, but he was hokage so he had to know. "Mitsuki. You lied to us about your amnesia. You deceived us. I don't want to scare you but it is becoming a bit harder to trust you."

"I understand Lord Hokage. I am truly sorry." Mitsuki continued meeting Naruto's eyes without flinching. _He's really brave.  
_

"I believe you had some other reason for suggesting that we go meet with Orochimaru. No doubt you knew that I would send Team Konohamaru to go meet with him. I believe that you planned to got meet with you father regardless. If I'm wrong you can tell me."

"No sir. You are correct. I wanted to go meet with my father for another reason."

"What was the other reason?"

There was pause. Mitsuki was hesitating to answer Naruto realized. Naruto didn't think it was possible. Ever since meeting the boy he always had answer to everything and answered immediately.

"I had to discuss my mother with him." Mitsuki said it so suddenly. Everyone in the room was now interested. He could could tell by their dropped jaws. Naruto himself had never imagined that there was a woman who would bear a child with Orochimaru. At least not a woman who would do it willingly. "First and foremost, I want to clarify that my mother was never married to my father but she willingly bore him a child."

Naruto facepalmed in his mind. He felt like all logic had been defied. "Why did you want to discuss your mother?"

"Because her name was Himiko Chinatsu. She was Haru Chinatsu's older sister."

This was a revelation. No one spoke immediately afterwards, they were still trying to process the weight of the information. "Then Mitsuki when you met Haru on our mission, didn't you suspect something?" Konohamaru said with his mouth still hanging open.

"I did, but I thought nothing of it. Chinatsu isn't exactly a unique surname so it didn't arouse any suspicions. When Boruto and encountered that man Jet that's when things began to change. Then when Haru attacked the Village, my suspicions were confirmed." Mitsuki said with a straight face, all the while looking at the men staring at him in the eyes. Naruto could see no fear in the boys eyes, nor deception.

"Mitsuki. Could you tell us about your mother?" Naruto asked as politely as he could manage.

"She's dead." Mitsuki said _this_ without hesitation. _How can this boy be so nonchalant about his mother?_

"I'm sorry." Naruto voiced his condolences. He meant it. It's always tragic for child to lose their mother.

"I went to discuss with my father how my mother was connected to the Black Sun. He said nothing I didn't already know. My mother is the leader Haru's sister and that is as far as the connection goes for all I know. Orochimaru wouldn't tell me anything else. Saying that I shouldn't have to worry about such things." Mitsuki sounded regretful.

"I see." Sasuke finally spoke up. "That's just like him."

"Yeah." Mitsuki agreed.

Naruto looked Mitsuki up and down, seeing if there was any hint of lie on him whatsoever. He was clear. "Alright Mitsuki. You may go. Sorry for keeping you."

"I understand." The boy bowed respectfully to all the men in the room and marched out as if he were going to war.

Immediately Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto didn't let him.

"I know Shikamaru. You think that Mitsuki might be working for Haru." Naruto said.

"It's just a possibility. I don't think we should let that boy off the hook so easily." Shikamaru replied stone-faced.

"He told us everything didn't he?" Naruto wasn't entirely sure why he was defending Mitsuki, but he felt as if he'd regret it if he didn't.

"Yeah, only after Haru attempted to kidnap you daughter." Sasuke said.

Naruto was beginning to lose his patience. "Damn it. Why do you all want to prosecute him so bad? Yes, he hasn't exactly been honest with us about everything, but I know that he didn't lie because he meant us ill."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Gaara, close beside him. "I understand how you feel. As a kage you ought to treat your village like family but sometimes you have to except that even your family can harm you greatly." Gaara sounded mournful. Naruto had heard how his own father the fourth kazekage had made several attempts on Gaara's life. Gaara himself treat his people justly, fairly, and with love, but he understood that a kage's burden is to protect their village both from the outside and the inside.

"I believe we an work out a compromise." Konohamaru stepped. "I'll take time to train Mitsuki personally when we're not out on missions. During that time I can try to learn more about him. I'll work with him for long hours to get as much time with him as I can. I also believe that he doesn't mean this village harm so I don't want you to go the trouble of getting ANBU to spy on him." The determination in Konohamaru's voice was all too evident. Naruto was proud of him. Naruto also knew that in light of certain aspects of Mitsuki's heritage, Konohamaru wanted to give him as much personal attention as possible. "Naruto. Please, I won't fail. He won't become Orochimaru."

That was all Naruto needed to hear. "Alright. You can be in charge of watching over Mitsuki." He turned to the other two men in the room. "Any objections?"

"Nope." Sasuke replied emotionlessly.

"None at all." Gaara said.

"Okay. good. I guess you guys can go then. Except for Shikamaru."

Shikamaru groaned as the other three men left. For the first time since taking up the hokage mantle from Kakashi, Naruto felt scared for his village. There was always this slight insecurity that their peace would not last, but now a man had stepped forward to make Naruto's worst fears come true.


	13. Chapter 13: Training

" _They've discovered the sacrificial altar beneath the Naka Shrine."_

" _Have they now? Perfect."_

" _The guard around the hokage's daughter has increased greatly in strength Haru."_

" _Of course it has, after figuring out our purpose for her, Jet. I'd like for you to focus on figuring dismantling the barriers holding you in place, in addition to observing the movements with the village."_

" _Fine. After that?"_

" _Don't break out right away. Search for the best opportunity to cripple them from the inside. Then I will arrive and take care of the rest."_

" _Perfect Haru."_

The connection broke off. Haru opened his eyes and relaxed his shoulders as he came out of meditation. The candles in front of him were still burning strong. Barely a single drop of wax had melted. But that should be expected of a Master such as himself. Communication through the world's energy would normally take someone thirty minutes to establish a connection. Judging by the candles Haru had barely taken two seconds. Haru stood up and gave himself a mental clap on the back.

He turned around and stared at a pillar and smiled to himself. "You can come out Taiga." A young woman with silver hait slowly stepped out from behind the pillar like a child caught spying on the illicit activities of her parents.

"How long did you I was there?" asked Taiga.

"Since before I even came in here." Haru coolly replied.

Taiga gave him an incredulous look as if she wasn't sure how to interpret Haru's response. He smiled at Taiga who immediately took her eyes off of him and took them to her feet, blushing.

"Haru, I-"

"Don't look so scared." Haru interrupted her. "I just want to know, did you enjoy what you saw?"

"Y-yes." Taiga stammered out. "The air around you seemed like it was dancing. Is that how it is when you communicate through the world's energy?"

"Indeed. Can you do it yet?"

"No." She turned her eyes away again as if she were expecting to be hit for the lack of success.

"Oh well. You'll get in due time." Haru said. "Come let's step outside."

Taiga followed like a school girl happy her crush had noticed her. _She is so easy to read. But then all people are._ The stepped out of the cave and into the bright sunlight. He shielded himself from the rays with his arm. It was a pleasantly warm day. He was glad he'd taken off his poncho.

Haru sat down rock while Taiga sat on a slightly larger one across from him. "What news from Jet and the others sir?" Taiga had her hands clasped in her lap and had addressed him as sir. She only got like that when she was worried.

"They are being held in chakra barriers by the hidden leaf village. Jet will find a way through them in due time, but in the meantime I've been having Jet use the world's energy to observe the village and discover its weak spots. Or rather its _weaker_ spots." Haru replied while looking up at the clouds.

"Oh." Taiga released her hands from within each others grasp. Her posture became relaxed as she looked at the grass at their feet. Haru couldn't help but feel warm inside at how much Taiga had grown from how she was when he first met her.

"Tell me Taiga. Your resolve for fighting with me." Haru already heard the answer many but he liked to be reminded of the resolve of those who followed him. I was also healthy for them to remind themselves.

"I pledged myself to the Black Sun to avenge myself and to protect you Haru." Her demeanor had changed. She was looking him directly in the eyes without any hesitation and with the utmost righteous anger.

"Good. It's always good to remind yourself of why you fight. The last thing I want is for you to walk to battle with me having forgotten your resolve and your purpose."

"You are my purpose Haru."

"Indeed. I became that the day I found you didn't I?"

"Yes. We were both children. My parents who were ninja of the grass village drove me away out of shame for having a child with no chakra. I wandered aimlessly wanting to die but too afraid to slit my throat."

"That's when I found you."

"You weren't any older than me. But you spoke as if you were a great, wise, philosopher. You said I was afraid to kill myself because deep down I believed that I did not want to die. That I had a reason to keep living."

"Yes. And what was that reason?"

"You know it Haru. It was to avenge myself. For the wrongs that were done to me. You said a human must never count their lives less than another's. That is why a person is just as justified in avenging themselves as they are their friends."

"For if we see no worth in ourselves than how can we be of worth to others?"

"You taught me how to fight. Showed me the worth that was buried deep within me."

"Hardly. It wasn't buried deep within you. People just told you not to dig for it in the first place."

"You were the first. You found me at the riverside trying to eat worms to feed myself. Do you remember what you said?"

"'Why are you eating worms girl? Aren't you a human being? All humans should eat real food.'" He chuckled silently to himself. Taiga laughed lightly on her rock as well.

"That was when you became my purpose." She sighed out.

Yes. He remembered vividly how she was when he found her and how he was as well. He had recently migrated to this continent with his father while his sister was gone. His father, who led the Black Sun at the time had accused Haru of speaking Heresy when he asked why he believed that all Chakra user swere monsters. He told him that it was "because Chakra is the power of devils. It is the monstrosity that came forth when the witch Kaguya ate the forbidden fruit." Haru didn't believe it. Chakra or not, they were all still human. His father's apprentice Jet however was far more in his father's favor than Haru himself. But was simply because the poor Jet recited out the lines his father wanted him to. Feeling dejected he ran into the wilderness and that was when he came across the young Taiga.

"What is you resolve Haru?" Taiga asked, snapping him out of his memories.

"To exercise my humanity to my heart's content. And to allow other the same chance." He didn't look at her when he said it, but he could feel her confusion. Thought he had grown used to it. Haru Chinatsu wasn't a man easily understood, but he was a man easily followed despite that. "It seems Jet has found my nephew in the leaf." He said with grin.

"Really. Your sister's, Lady Himiko's child? That's great news." Taiga had jumped off her rock in excitement, her hair bouncing as she did.

"Not necessarily. He was born with Chakra you see."

"Oh." There was a bit of venom on her tone now.

"Though I believe he may still be of some use."

"I don't understand."

"You will. I promise." He walked over to Taiga and took her in his arms. They locked eyes and Jet knelt forward. He l lightly locked his lips with Taiga's; he could feel her desire through their contact and he could feel her joy at this act. When they separated, Haru couldn't help but smile at how red her face had gotten. He could tell that she was struggling simply not to faint thus he held her to keep from doing so.

Haru turned to the clearing where he began to here countless footsteps in the distance. "The others are approaching." Taiga said. Haru was impressed that her senses were as sharp as they were.

"They are. Come let's go change the world together, Taiga."

* * *

The door opened revealing Sarada's mother to give a great hug to her daughter who'd just returned from her mission to see Orochimaru. "Mom, you're crushing me." Sarada groaned out.

"Sorry sweetie." Sakura replied as she let her daughter go. Sarada looked over at Boruto who walked in and was also tackled by hugs from both his mother and his sister. Sarada couldn't help but smile at the three as they got up. Seeing Boruto's smile caused Sarada's heart to melt. This was the inherent kindness in him the she admired. the same kindness that Uncle Naruto possessed. "Are you children alright?" Sarada's mother asked.

"Yeah Mom, we're all fine." Sarada replied catching her breath from her mother's monster hug.

"Yeah what she said." said Boruto. "And those Taka members are weird." Boruto complained.

"Hey. I thought Karin was alright." Sarada protested. She really did find Karin rather likable.

"Are you kidding me? She was insane." Boruto claimed.

"You met Karin?" Her mother joined. "How was she?"

"She was fine Mom." Sarada went on to explain how she had greeting them with the utmost warmth and kindness.

'And what about Orochimaru?" her mother finally questioned venomously. It was clear that she wasn't particularly fond of Mitsuki's father just Konohamaru wasn't.

Sarada opened her to speak though not sure of what would come out.

"He was just like Mitsuki." Boruto suddenly blurted out. Lady Hinata and Sarada's mother both shared a look of confusion and understanding. Sarada hadn't really thought about it during the meeting with the man. Only that he had striking resemblance to Mitsuki but seemed far more threatening. But his manner of speaking however was shared by his son. Both polite yet blunt.

"So where is Mitsuki?" Himawari questioned. It was a rather rare thing for her speak out like this in front this many people. She was after all quite shy despite feistiness in private.

"Oh, Dad asked him stay back." Boruto replied in an annoyed tone.

"I see." Lady Hinata said. Sarada looked over at Boruto who looked like a little boy who'd just been denied his favorite junk food. Even Sarada wondered why Mitsuki was asked to stay behind. Perhaps it had something to with the secrets he'd kept from the hokage, though Sarada didn't see the issue. Mitsuki never meant anyone any harm.

"Mom, you'll never guess who we met at the hokage's office today." Sarada wanted to retell her meeting with the kazekage only to be cut off by the door bell.

"Oh, let me get that." Thus Sarada's mother went for the door.

Sarada heard the door open and a familiar male voice speak. "Sorry Sakura but I brought along a visitor." It was her father. Sarada looked towards the door to find that the kazekage entered as well. She couldn't believe it. It was enough just to meet him at the hokage's office but to have him in the same home as her was almost divine. She always admired the kage and Gaara of the Sand was special due to his friendship with Uncle Naruto.

"Lord Kazekage." Her mother began.

"No need to be so formal Sakura. We're all friends here." The kazekage said.

"Hell again Sarada. Boruto." The kazekage turned to the children. "And this must be Naruto's and Hinata's daughter."

Himawari retreated slightly into herself until she received reassurance from her mother, Lady Hinata, that it was okay.

"I'd like for the children to leave for a moment." Sarada's father announced.

"Leave? For what?" She spat at her father.

"This isn't something you'll want to hear. I know I didn't" Her father said back. The honesty in his voice kept Sarada from spitting something insulting at him. She looked at the kazekage who had the same sort of frightened expression her father was wearing. It was clear that there was something that they discussed something with the hokage that they didn't want the children to worry about. "Let's go Sarada." Boruto said. That surprised her the most. Normally he'd be the first to speak out against something like this. His silence during this whole episode was rather unnerving.

Despite her awkwardness at the situation she left with Boruto and his sister. As the three were about to enter Sarada's room She felt Boruto tugging on her arm. "What?" She quietly demanded.

"Let's go spy on them." He said with a mischievous smirk.

"Are you crazy?" She didn't need that question answered. Thus she was glad the Boruto didn't give one and simply continued smiling. "Fine. So what about Hima?"

"Taken care of." He motioned over to Hima who was playing with Boruto. _Wait. What?_

"You left a shadow clone with her?" She was resisting the urge to yell. How could this boy be so insensitive to his own sister so as to leave a shadow clone?

"No dunderhead. I'm the clone. That's the real me. I'm not like my old man you know."

"Oh." Though now Sarada felt slightly jealous that she was stuck with the clone though didn't voice her feelings. Instead she simply followed Boruto back towards the stairs to spy on the adults all the while wondering on the way, how Boruto created a shadow clone so fast and switched places with it. She decided to write that off as the prodigious talent her father must've been so proud of him for.

They crouched behind a wall at the top of the stairs not bothering to look at them. They decided simply hearing their conversation would've been enough.

"No." That was Lady Hinata's voice which was dripping with fear.

"Hinata." The was Sarada's mother. No doubt trying to comfort Hinata over whatever it was that they wee talking about.

"I can't believe it. That man Haru wants to sacrifice my daughter." Sarada heart landed in her stomach and legs almost gave way. She turned over to Boruto's clone whose eyes were burning with such volcanic rage that was reminiscent of her father's at that age.

"For that purpose. . ." The kazekage was talking now. "A special guard has been formed to protect your daughter Hinata."

"A guard?" Lady Hinata choked out as if she'd been crying.

"Yes." the kazekage replied. "It will consist of myself, the sixth hokage, and Killer Bee the eight tails jinchuriki. And I have no doubt all those living in this house will participate in this task as well."

Sarada heard several "Hns" and "yeses". She felt like she was out of her depth. The kazekage, the sixth hokage, and the eight tails jinchuriki. These were people that Sarada was very knowledgeable about. The fact that this many powerful ninja were needed to guard against Haru spoke miles about their enemy's power. The whole time Boruto seemed to be getting more enraged as the conversation went on. "Boruto . . . " She began. There was a light puff of smoke and the Boruto clone disappeared. _Oh, Boruto. Hima._

"Sarada. Boruto" she heard her father's voice from downstairs. "Did you catch all that?"

Of course he knew they were there. He always knew about Sarada, but Sarada wasn't able to know anything about him. She walked down the stairs towards the living room like a soldier marching off to the battlefield. Once she reached the living she looked her all the adults in the eyes. She would not let them nor their dark business intimidate her. "If you mean if we caught the bit about Haru's plan to sacrifice Hima and the roster for her bodyguard squad then yeah. We caught everything." She said to her father sarcastically.

Her father though simply grinned at her. "It seems you've gotten better at stealth since the last time you spied on me."

"Hn." She knew her father had given her a sincere compliment. He was usually quiet, but when he spoke, he spoke whatever was on his mind. Since she didn't want to let him know that she appreciated the compliment she simply scowled at him. She turned to the kazekage. "Do we have any kind of plan on dealing with Haru? Even the seventh hokage was on the ropes against him."

"Well we are working on a plan." her father said instead of the kazekage. "But having so many kage-caliber ninja as bodyguards for Himawari is a good place to start."

"Hn."

Sarada heard light footsteps running down the stairs. Himawari entered the room and ran to her mother. All eyes in the room became somber and regretful, but Hima had no idea what was going on. "Mom. Boruto ran out the window."

"He what?" Lady Hinata almost jumped out of her seat.

"He didn't fall. He just hopped away somewhere. He was angry when he left." There was sadness and disappointment in the young girl's eyes.

"I'll go get him." Sarada's father said. "Don't worry Hinata." He turned to Sarada. "And don't you worry either." The tone in his voice was meant to tease her.

She simply turned her face away to hide the fact she was blushing. Her father lightly laughed and walked out the door in hunt of the angry boy.

* * *

The practice post had several fist impressions on it's surface. Boruto threw another punch at it, putting his whole being behind the strike. _That Haru wants to kill my sister._

 _Not if I kill him first._ Another punch, another mark on the post. He looked at his knuckles. Anyone else' would have been bleeding by now but his were barely bruised. He'd made a habit of this shortly after his father became hokage. Thus his hands had become desensitized to the abuse. He reeled back for another punch. "Will stop hurting that poor practice post?" A familiar voice called out behind him.

He twisted his head and there he was, long black cloak and all. "Old Man Sasuke. What are you doing out here?"

"Well first off. I knew you and Sarada were spying on us. Second of all when our conversation ended Himawari came down and told us that ran and were pissed off." He voice was cool and calm. It was the Sarada way sounded on general basis and it annoyed him.

"Does Hima know?" Boruto asked.

"No. She doesn't."

"Good." Boruto went back to his punching.

"She will find out though. This isn't something we can keep hidden from her for too long." Old Man Sasuke really holding anything back. "So. What are you doing exactly?"

"Well you can see what I'm doing." Boruto turned his back and began punching the practice post again. "I'm training."

"It looks like training, but it's not." Sasuke said behind him over the sound of Boruto rage fueled punches.

"Then what is it?" He punctuated _it_ with a punch and turned back towards the Uchiha.

"A rather ineffective way of dealing with anger."

Boruto scoffed and turned back towards the post and was about throw another punch.

"Your father's adviser has created the best guard imaginable for your sister. Two kage and a master jinchuriki."

"Yup and how do you plan to fit them all the house?"

"We know a woodstyle user who can set up a quick guest house in the back."

"Great. Can I go back to training now?"

"You're not really training if your mind isn't on becoming better."

"And how do you know what my mind's on?"

"Well I don't, but I know what your mind _isn't_ on."

Boruto turned his full body to face Old Man Sasuke. "Then what should I do?"

The Uchiha smiled. "Come with me."

Boruto diligently followed unsure of Sasuke's intentions.

He found himself at the side of the river on a great open patch grass with forestry on either side. In the center of the grass sat a large beautiful rock. It was cut like a giant kunai and it was perched upon a small platform. On it Boruto could make out countless faint engravings. "What are we doing here Old Man Sasuke?"

Sasuke walked to the rock and looked with a melancholy expression. "This is the Memorial Stone. On this rock are written the names of K.I.A. heroes. Killed in action."

"Oh." Boruto wondered what was the point of showing him this. He walked over the rock and looked over all the names. "Obito Uchiha. Hayate Gekko." These names didn't mean anything to him. He scrolled over countless other names. "Jiraiya, Neji Hyuga." These last two names did mean something to him. "Hey Old Man." He said to Sasuke. "Jiraiya and Neji Hyuga's names are on here as well."

"Yeah. You heard how they died right?" Sasuke asked him.

"Yeah, but why are their names here?"

"Like I told you. Every name here is the name of someone who died a hero."

Boruto looked back at the rock. _But why?_ "Why are you showing me this?" He looked Sasuke dead in the eyes. Or at least the eye that wasn't covered by his hair.

"These are the names of those who endured for what they believe in. For what they wanted to protect." Sasuke was looking at Boruto as if he were waiting for response.

"A true ninja is one who endures." Boruto's father had never failed in telling that, time and time again. But what did it mean to endure?

"Ninjas must endure a great many things to achieve their goals. It's not so much a prerequisite of being a ninja than it is a consequence. You will have to endure a great deal in your mission of defending your family. But you won't have to do it alone. I will help you bear that burden." There was determination in the Uchiha's onyx eyes. He truly meant to help Boruto. "Boruto. Your training begins now."

Boruto's jaw dropped. He wanted to jump him in the air. "Wait, but I'm not ready!" This was all happening too fast.

Boruto however realized it was too late to complain when Sasuke's fist connected with his face. The Old Man had a menacing grin on his face.

* * *

"Jet! Wake Up!" Naruto said to the man who was meditating behind the barrier. The man opened his eyes and smiled knowingly at the angered hokage.

"I wasn't sleeping." Jet said coolly. That made Naruto even more angry. Shikamaru had a worried look in his eyes beside him.

"What do want to sacrifice my daughter for?" Naruto struggled to get the 'sacrifice' out.

"Why would I tell you that?" Jet's response didn't surprise Naruto but it made want strangle the arrogant prisoner. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Shikamaru no doubt sensing his hokage's silent rage. Naruto understood and took a deep breath.

"You've answered all our questions up until now?" Shikamaru was asking this time. Naruto decided it was for the best since Naruto knew he wouldn't able to contain himself during this interrogation. "Why the sudden secrecy?"

"You know why Shikamaru Nara." Jet replied.

"You only told us what you meant for us to know."

"That's right."

Naruto stepped in again. "Well seeing as how we're not get anywhere regarding your plans for the sacrificial altar underneath the Uchiha clan's sacred grounds. I suppose I 'll ask what is the Black Sun? What do you people believe in?" Naruto always made a point to try and understand the his enemies as well as he did friends. Despite his personal connection to this situation, he couldn't play it differently this time.

"We all have our own reasons for joining Black Sun. There those like myself who had parents and grandparent as members and they lived with organization thus we became part of it as well. There are those like Kana over there. . ." he said gesturing to a green haired woman in one of the barriers. "Who were drafted into the organization for being born Sol. Then there are those like the other four Tora brothers in the other four barriers who were cast out by ninja for being born without Chakra. For being born into conditions out of their control. You can understand what that's like right hokage?" Jet sneered at him. Naruto couldn't deny that.

"So what about Haru Chinatsu?" Shikamaru asked.

"He's a special case. He was the son on the old leader of the organization. But he had no particular love for it or its goals. You see the Black Sun's greatest desire is to take back the world from the Chakra users. We all somehow attached our own motivations to fighting towards the collective goal. But for Haru, he really didn't care about. He used to say things like all Humans are equal, that no human is worth more than another for any reason whatsoever." Jet chuckled lightly.

"He thinks all humans are equal? That doesn't sound like the guy who wants to sacrifice my daughter." Naruto growled out.

"You misunderstand. Just like I do. You see before Haru took over leadership form his father we were but mercenaries waging war on ninja in any way we could but in secret and always depending on others. Haru had no interest in such things. To him the Black Sun's goals were childish and short-sighted. When he took over. We became a far more independent organization."

"And a far more violent one." Shikamaru said his voice drenched in disgust.

"Indeed. Did you know her only became that town's chief out of boredom? He befriended the guild leaders so he could tear them and the town apart any time he wanted."

"Sounds a like a psychopath." Naruto said.

"I told you. Even I, his second-in-command don't understand him. But he understands and accepts all of us. It's quite an irony actually. The old leader ruled with an iron fist. Haru is different. He doesn't inspire fear in his subordinates but the utmost loyalty. But to those who aren't his subordinates, their fates are up in the air." Jet sounded quite proud as he spoke.

"And what about Himiko Chinatsu?" Naruto didn't expect an answer but if this man was Haru's second in command perhaps he knew about his sister as well.

"She left the Black Sun quite early in her life for most likely Orochimaru. That was when the rest of organization decided to leave for this continent. We never saw Himiko again. But I'm guessing you know her fate since you asked about it." Jet didn't seem to care about this woman at all. Did Orochimaru convince her to leave the Black Sun or was he smitten by him and that was her reasoning?

Naruto turned to leave and Shikamaru followed. Leaving behind Jet without a word.

Once they exited the prison hold Shikamaru began talking. "Well what do you think?"

"I think I need to go back home and start Sarada's training." Naruto replied.

"Wait? Shouldn't we be worrying about this Haru guy first." Shikamaru asked.

"I'll send a few shadow clones to the office to help you out." Naruto began walking away. He stopped walking when he remembered his fight with Haru. He could barely touch the young man. "Shikamaru."

"Yeah?" Shikamaru lazily acknowledged.

"This guy Haru is different from the likes of Obito and Madara. He isn't much just more powerful than them. He also operates on a completely different wavelength. So we can't handle Haru the same way as Obito and Madara. It's clear that this man won't be understood by us right now. He thinks on whole different playing field. So I'm gonna go home and prepare Sarada while no doubt Sasuke will be preparing Boruto for the upcoming battle no one will be able to avoid."

"What about Himawari?"

"Hinata will train her. She has the byakugan so that would be the best course of action."

He heard Shikamaru sigh behind. "What a drag."

"Good luck Shikamaru." Naruto smiled.

There was no way any ninja in this village would be able to avoid the battle to come. Haru didn't sound like a man who desired vengeance like Obito and Madara. He was completely heartless on a whole other level than Kaguya. She was void of any emotion. This man was different. Haru frightened Naruto in a way none his previous enemies did and it truly wasn't just because he was more powerful than any them.

Whatever Haru was after, it wasn't what his Black Sun members were after. And if one thing was clear, it was that everyone would suffer from this man's actions. It wasn't that he wanted to allow Sarada or Boruto to get involved, it was that there was no possible to keep them out of it.

* * *

The boys skills were superhuman. Though what else could be expected form the son of Orochimaru? It was the strangest feeling. Konohamaru held no resentment towards the boy, but he was just unable to look at him the same way as he used to. Yes, he held no resentment towards the boy but towards himself for not being to push aside his personal feelings. This was his student who he was sparring with. Not some evil creature. But he still couldn't look at him as he once could. There could be no forgiveness for that.

"Alright Mitsuki. That's enough for today." Konohamaru said to the boy. Mitsuki stopped back and looked at exhausted. He was breathing hard, his clothes had been tattered and his body was covered scrapes and cuts. But the boy's eyes did not reflect his physical condition. His eye gave the impression of wolf thinking of the best way to kill his prey. Even now Mitsuki was thinking of how to defeat Konohamaru. He liked to hide it, but Konohamaru could see that Mitsuki had the same contempt for losing as his teammates. He had to smile at that.

"Sensei." Mitsuki said. It sounded like he was asking a question though.

"What is it Mitsuki?" Konohamaru replied.

"I'm sorry."

Mitsuki's reply caught Konohamaru off guard. He couldn't be apologizing for his performance today for it was splendid. It was clear that he held even more potential than Boruto and Sarada for he actually manged to land a few hits on him. Though none of them were enough to truly take him down.

"I'm sorry about your grandfather. I'm well enough aware of his relationship with my father. As well the circumstances of his death. I understand how you must feel towards him" Mitsuki's voice was sincere and sympathetic. That only made Konohamaru feel more guilty.

"Thank you Mitsuki. Your condolences mean a lot to me." He smiled at Mitsuki who returned the smile. He wondered if Mitsuki had been afraid to say what he said. He wondered if he felt guilty. If his heritage weighed as much on him as Konohamaru's did. There was silence between them as they sat down on the ground and took in the cool soothing night air. "Mitsuki. You and Oro- your father seem to get along quite well."

"I suppose. He took care of me for a while until I decided to come to the Leaf." Mitsuki replied.

"You _decided?"_ That surprised Konohamaru.

"Yes. You see my father did give me the option of staying with him but in the end I decided to come here."

"Why?"

"I suppose I just wanted to see more. I knew of my father's status before I met him for the first time. I was aware that I'd be remaining in that hideout for the better part of my life if I stayed with him. It's not like I don't stay inside here as well, but here I can do it of my own discretion. My father was rather supportive of the idea. He said it would be the decision that my mother would've supported." There was a sort of hidden sadness in the boy's voice and that was not something that was often expected of Mitsuki. Konohamaru decided not to press the matter further.

"Mitsuki let's go home. It's getting late."

"Uh, sensei. If it's okay I'd like to satay out here a bit longer. Enjoy the night air."

"Alright just don't stay out too long. It's important for you get some rest."

"Very well. Good night sensei."

"Good night." Konohamaru walked home in silence. Mitsuki was a good student and a good ninja. He deserved better than what Konohamaru could give him.

* * *

After the sensei was gone and out of site. Mitsuki pulled his mother's sun blade from his sleeve. He'd decided to keep close as of late. Especially after the conversation with his father. He held up to the moonlight to examine. It was truly a beautiful blade.

"That is truly a beautiful blade." A calm voice said behind him. Mitsuki whipped around and there stood his greatest enemy. Golden hair, purple eyes, casual white clothing, and gold on his ears and wrists. Mitsuki wasted no time in throwing shuriken at him. Only for them to hit the rock standing behind Haru. He hadn't dodged that was for sure. They had simply passed right through him.

"You can't kill an illusion like that nephew." Haru said with smirk. Mitsuki concentrated and realized that he was translucent. "It is a special technique that allows me to appear as illusion in the mind of anyone I target. Normally one has to be close. But me, well I'm special."

"What do want Haru Chinatsu?" Mitsuki pointed the sun blade at the man despite knowing it wouldn't do him any good.

"Oh come on Mitsuki. You can call me Uncle you know. We are family after all." Haru smirked.

Mitsuki scoffed.

Haru sighed. "I never thought I'd see the sun blade again."

"I asked again what you wanted."

"To talk with you. My nephew. I'll get right to he point. I was hoping you'd join me on my crusade."

"And what crusade is that?" Mitsuki narrowed his eyes.

"To give humans a chance to act like humans of course."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well I can't give you the 'how.' But the 'what' is to create a calamity to take things to a point where people will be well aware of their mortality and live accordingly."

"Survival of the fittest?" Mitsuki was certain but he wanted Haru to confirm it.

"Yes. You catch on quick Mitsuki. Just like your mother."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Work with me of course."

"I have chakra. I'm not a sol."

"That doesn't matter. All humans are equal right? There is nothing that can truly put one above the other."

"I'll pass."

"You didn't let me finish my explanation even." He looked like he dejected.

"I don't need to hear the rest. It's clear that you and I won't get along." Mitsuki said with as much finality as he coul muster.

"Tell me something Mitsuki. Do you know what means to be chosen by the sun?"

"Of course I do. Those chosen by the sun are meant to be humanity's salvation."

"So why will the sun blade curse them?"

Mitsuki had asked his father the same question. He wondered if Haru would give him the same answer as his father.

"You see." Haru began. "'Chosen by the sun' is a phrase that had existed before the creation of the moon. Since the sun was all we had it was what the Sol of the past would worship as a god. It seems most logical since it was provided life and energy to the world. To be chosen by the sun meant that one possessed the qualities of the sun. It could be literal or metaphorical. One could truly have as much as power as the sun or one could lead people into prosperity and happiness replicating the what the sun means to people. But those chosen by the sun are cursed. It means to be alone and push those you love and those who love you away. It's not a duty but rather a consequence. Much how you ninja are the ones who endure."

Indeed it was the same answer his father given him. He just wasn't sure what the blade had to do with it. His father simply told him that those who were chosen by the sun always wielded the blade.

"Now about the sun blade. For our family it was meant to be a reminder of our duty to be the world's salvation. I always thought that was nonsense. If there was only one blade that meant only one could be chosen. So the Sol as whole could not be chosen by the sun."

"So why did my mother leave me this blade. Why did she say it will protect me?"

"Because it will. You are of her blood and that is what matters. Himiko was the last to be chosen by the sun. You are the next."

"But I'm not alone I still have people by my side." He said as calm as could, hiding his desire to cry out.

Haru looked at him with an almost apologetic expression. "Mitsuki. The curse spoken by the blade isn't some abstract conjuring of the imagination, like the curse of hatred the Uchiha like to go on about. It is real. If you are not willing leave behind the people who you love and those who love you. The blade will turn you into something that is _willing_. And trust me the change will be all too obvious."

"You're lying."

"It happened to your mother. Why do you think she left the Black Sun? Why do you think she and your father separated? Why do think she died and you lived when your boat capsized on a bright sunny day in the ocean? Originally she pushed the Black Sun and your father so no one would get hurt by the curse. But she couldn't lose you. So the blade took you away from her. She died alone because of it."

It was true. There was no call for a storm on the day the ship capsized. Thunder clouds formed only above the ship is what captain said. And Mitsuki went and confirmed it be true. In all directions it was clear save for anything in vicinity of the ship. It was the opposite of being the eye of a storm. It seemed like a divine prank at the time, but now he understood that it wasn't. His legs were about give way under him.

"I understand how this must feel for you. The blade was meant for Sol and those with Sol powers. You are not either. So what the blade will do to you is anyone's guess. I'm offering you a chance to join with me because there will be no one in the Black Sun you will love or will love you. No one would get hurt." With that the Haru illusion vanished. Mitsuki sat back down on the ground wanting to cry but he couldn't. What will the sun blade do? It will protect him but it will hurt everyone else. "Why did this happen to me?!" Mitsuki yelled at the moon.


	14. Chapter 14: Betrayal and Attack

It had been ten days since her training had begun It was unlike anything she'd ever been through. Her mother's training was strict and brutal. Uncle Naruto's was ridiculously unorthodox. In the beginning Uncle Naruto left a shadow clone in his place at the hokage's office and had taken her to a shuriken practice range. There were three targets for her to it. It would've been easy for her except the hokage had only given her one shuriken to do it. It made no sense. If there were three targets you would need three shuriken to hit them regardless of how you threw them. Each target must have shuriken in them. After trying and trying for hours, the hokage finally gave her a hint: "I didn't say you had to throw it." He had said with a mischievous giggle. Thus she went and literally smacked the three targets with the shuriken and the hokage had given her a thumbs up.

Sparring matches involved little more than classic taijutsu. No enhancements whatsoever. For endurance, she'd been made to carry the hokage's ridiculously huge pack on camping in one of the village's many forests. In the end it turned out there was only rocks in the bag and the tent had been set up beforehand. It felt like the only thing he'd really taught her was how to infuse her weapons with chakra. That was only for the first 3 days of course. The fourth she had come out and asked him: "Why don't teach me any real new jutsu like the rasengan or something?" His response had been one that aggravated her. He had said: "Rasengan isn't really your style Sarada. Sorry." After that she had had it. She exploded by telling him her father had been teaching Boruto some real techniques. Shurikenjutsu, taijutsu, helping him refine his rasengan, and chakra natures. The hokage responded by simply smiling at her and saying: "Your dad and Boruto are prodigies unlike you and me. They both have a wider arsenal of different techniques that we don't and it's possible we never will. So we need to take the fewer things we are capable of and refine them single-mindedly. Use them in every possible way to be able to stand up to them."

This was something her mother had never taught Sarada. She knew a ninja would have to use whatever they have at their disposal to try and win, but she always believed that you should have as many techniques under your belt as possible to win. This had changed her view completely.

The first three days she'd been taught how to think in different ways than usual. Build up endurance for doing the same thing over and over. After that the hokage guided her on refining her abilities. Her precise chakra control, her fire style and lighting style, and her sharingan. She had figured out how to use them in ways she never imagined.

Today was another sparring match with the hokage. This time ninjutsu was allowed. "Alright let's see what you got. Sarada!" He called her out with a great grin stretching from ear to ear. Accepting his challenge with grin of her own she took several kunai and streamed lighting natured chakra through them as she threw them. They were effortlessly dodged but she pulled back on the threads she'd attached to the weapons and they came back towards the hokage's head. He ducked as they missed their targets but she'd gotten closer this time than ever before. The hokage formed two clones and charged forth towards Sarada. She took her fist and smashed it into the ground releasing lightning nature chakra unlike the ordinary chakra she usually used. A crater formed in the ground was slightly smaller than usual but in exchange lighting crackled out in the form of shock wave from the point of impact sending the hokage and the clones and flying back. The clones didn't disappear on their own though, they were too strong for that. So the hokage released the jutsu on his own. Next she used firestyle to blow a great stream of flames at the hokage. This attack too was speedily dodged but she had already moved to appear behind him using the light from the flames as a distraction. Appearing directly behind him she moved to use one of her mother's superhuman punches to finish the fight in a single blow. Just as she was about to do it, she found her arms restrained by something strong from behind and next thing she knew was in headlock. She struggled to turn her head and see two of Uncle Naruto. He had created another shadow clone. _When had he done that?_ After ginning at her, he released his jutsu again and she moved in for a punch but the hokage held up his hand. "That's enough Sarada."

That wasn't expected. "What? I can still fight!" She shot back.

"I know. So can I. But I've been pushing you hard for past ten days and I'd like to take you out for lunch. Something, just fun."

Sarada pulled her fist back and calmed down. It's true that the hokage never mistreated her but he'd never taken her for something simply fun before. "Fine." She tried to sound as angry as possible while trying to hide her smile.

She felt the hokage's hand ruffle her hair. He beamed down on her with pride. "You did great Sarada. You really did."

Now she became flustered and couldn't hold back smile anymore. "Thank you Uncle." She enthusiastically bowed.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Boruto yelled at Sasuke.

"Me? You're the one didn't wasn't watching his ass." Sasuke said with a sly grin.

"Did you have to go and jab it though?" He rubbed his behind where he'd been hit by Sasuke's Lightning Style: One Thousand Years of Death. Which was little more than imbuing your index and middle fingers with lightning-natured chakra and jabbing your opponent in the arse with them. "What kind of jutsu is that? Especially in sparring match between ninja?"

"Boruto. Ninja must expect the unexpected."

"Bull! You just ran out of moves because I cornered you." He accused of his mentor.

"What? Yeah right." Old Man Sasuke replied clearly flustered. "Thanks to me you've gotten a lot better, but don't think that you actually caught me off guard. You just got lucky."

"Luck! Ha! My ass."

"You mean the one you weren't watching?"

The two continued bickering, reminding Boruto of how much Sasuke was like his daughter. Only much more infuriating. It was quite common for the past ten days. When it came time to train however, there would be no nonsense between them. Boruto made sure to listen to everything the legendary Uchiha had to say. He was a strict teacher but also warm and soft-spoken. He always acknowledged Boruto's efforts without exaggerating the results. He always made sure Boruto was aware of his strengths and weaknesses. At first Boruto thought that Sasuke was degrading him. He quickly realized that wasn't the case. For a ninja, underestimation of your enemy's abilities, or the overestimation of your own, increases the chances of failure a hundred-fold. Doing both results in guaranteed failure. He never acknowledged those before before Old Man Sasuke.

After a few minutes of senseless bickering, the two sat down for lunch. He always enjoyed Sasuke's company though he'd never admit it. There was something about the man that seemed to put him at ease. "Boruto. You really are getting better." Sasuke said.

Boruto smiled. "Thanks Old Man." He spooned in another bite food.

"In just ten days you went from a crybaby to well . . . a little less of a crybaby." The Uchiha said with a smirk.

"Hey! I was never a crybaby! I just . . . wasn't used to . . . well . . ."

"Working so hard?" Sasuke finished for him. "Yeah. I know how feel. I never had to work as hard as others to be able to do things. But that's the downside of being a prodigy." He sounded melancholy.

"Isn't that the upside?" Boruto was confused.

"Not necessarily. If we're confronted by something that we have to work hard for, we're usually the ones mostly likely to quit as opposed to guys who are losers like your dad. They never quit no matter depressingly hopeless the situation seems."

Boruto took a drag of his juice pouch, digesting his mentor's words. "Were you ever in a situation like that?"

"Yeah. When the yet-to-be sixth hokage was training me for the chidori."

"Really? But that's like your signature move now."

"Yeah. But back then, it was pain in the ass. Having to first awaken my lightning nature and then learn to apply in ninjutsu was challenging enough. Then to build my body up to the point so I could effectively execute the technique required me to put in more work and effort than I have ever had to in my life." Sasuke put a piece of tomato in his mouth. "My body aches just thinking about it.

"I don't completely get it." Boruto said.

"Think of it like this. A prodigy is a lot like tomato that's ripe right off the bush."

"That's a neat comparison." Boruto teased.

"Sh- Shut up!" Sasuke looked flustered. Another thing he learned is how sensitive Sasuke becomes about his food preferences. "Anyway if a ripe tomato is allowed to sit for too long it's gonna rot. A tomato that isn't ripe right from the get-go is only going to get better though."

"Yeah, but aren't humans a bit different?"

"Only in that we can better no matter how we start out. You and I are geniuses. We can do most of the things others can't without even trying, but if we think that because we're geniuses ,that we're the ones who a right to win then we cripple ourselves."

"That makes sense I guess. A genius that doesn't use their genius to get even better and do more, is no different that lump on a log."

"Exactly." Sasuke said with a proud smile. "Geniuses make mistakes just like anyone else, and the only way to better is to acknowledge those mistakes and move forward to get stronger in spite of them."

Yes. Old Man Sasuke was right. There was no refuting it. It wasn't too long ago that Boruto would've been happy lazing around and not trying to get better in fear of having to face his mistakes. But Sasuke changed his view. Mistakes are inevitable for a human being, but moving forward in spite of them is what makes humans stronger. Covering up one's mistakes by not doing anything or cheating is the same trying to hid a mansion using big yellow tarp. It's stupid and you just draw even more attention to yourself. _Dad never told me these things_. "So. Why'd you learn the chidori anyway?" Boruto wasn't asking why he had to work so hard, but why he had to learn this technique. It was simple curiosity.

There was slight hesitation as Sasuke put his single hand to his left shoulder. "I was under a bad influence at the time, is the best way to put it. By giving into it I could achieve an immense boost in power, but it came at a price that my friends thought wasn't worth paying. Kakashi taught chidori to me so I wouldn't feel the need to give into it."

"So what about you? Did you think the price was worth paying?"

"In all honesty, at that point in my life, I would've done just about anything to gain more power."

"I see." Boruto crumpled up his juice pouch. The Uchiha's story matched up. He was in search of power to kill his brother. It made sense that he'd be looking for any way to accomplish his task. Haru's face flashed in Boruto's mind. His grin as his mother pulled r son away, while his father fought Haru. _And let him escape._ "Isn't there a more efficient way of getting stronger?" Boruto suddenly said. He wasn't sure why, but he did.

"There are more efficient ways of taking out your opponent. The village's engineers have developed the Kote, which allows for one to fire out high level ninjutsu without training or chakra. While the device is powerful, it doesn't at all say that its user is powerful."

"Yeah, but in war, wouldn't it come in handy?" Boruto asked.

"Of course it would. Only a complete moron would question it. But putting all your faith in a single power with nothing else, and none in yourself leaves you empty and broken. You may not realize it right away but your screwing yourself over if you follow that path." Boruto looked down at the grass beneath him. His arguments were sensible and flawless. He just wished it didn't hurt to accept them. To accept the truth. He wanted to defend his family, he wanted kill Haru. Boruto for once in his life had a goal. A reason truly become stronger and strive for perfection. If he didn't, he'd have done anything to be able to take out his opponents. He was a prodigy so it wouldn't matter because he could do anything. But he couldn't stop Haru from almost taking Hima and he knew he wouldn't have been able to. No special tool or power was going to change that. "Come on. Let's go for a walk." Sasuke put a hand on his shoulder. Boruto nodded with smile and left with his mentor.

* * *

Haru walked down the steps into the dimly lit hallways. He could tell that a great amount work had gone into building this hideout. Haru just wished Orochimaru would've installed some more lights in here. A tall figure began to down the hall towards. He had orange hair, fierce eyes, and a scowl that said 'leave now or die.' "Who are you?" The man said.

"I'm here to see Orochimaru, if you be so kind." Haru said to the man. He didn't expect him to agree, but he decided he should maintain his own manners when he could afford to.

"No. Sorry, but I can't let you go see him. And you are trespassing by the way."

"I understand. But I have to see him and I'm afraid 'no' is not an answer I can accept right now." Haru glared at this orange-haired man.

An ominous pressure began to come of the man. It was akin to how The Sol use their Shizenryu. He was pulling natural energy into his body passively, despite the fact the he had chakra. Haru eyes-widened along with his grin as the right side of the orange haired man's body started changing into something demonic. There were spikes and scales; claws and fangs; all in a deep, dark shade of stormy gray. "If you don't leave. I will kill you." The man's tone was deep threatening, and incredibly hostile. Haru clenched his own hand into a fist and prepared to kill this man.

"That's enough Jugo." A voice called came from down the hallway.

The owner of the voice began to come to the light revealing none other than Orochimaru with a silver-haired man and a red-haired woman behind him. "This isn't an opponent _you_ can defeat."

With that the orange haired man's body quickly morphed back to normal.

"Orochimaru." Haru said.

"Haru Chinatsu." Orochimaru seemed to as pleased as the one called Jugo to find him here.

"You don't look happy to see me. We are family after all." Haru said with all honesty.

"I don't see how." Orochimaru replied calmly but intimidatingly.

"Mitsuki. Your son, my nephew. Family."

"You of all people should know that blood isn't a very good qualifier for family Haru."

"Of course not, but it's a good place to start."

There was pause. Haru stared the immortal Orochimaru straight in the eyes with Orochimaru returning the glare. "What did you come here for Haru?"

"I had a chance to speak to Mitsuki. I told him about the sun blade."

"As did I."

"You didn't tell him the true nature of the curse, did you though?"

Orochimaru didn't answer right away. "No I didn't. There would be nothing gained from me telling him or not."

"Nothing gained? You would allow your own son to suffer as the sun's chosen one, than help him by telling him the truth?"

No answer.

"You truly are snake to the end. Himiko drove you away, so to avoid suffering the same fate twice, you keep your son at distance."

Orochimaru scoffed. "You misunderstand the nature of my relationship with Himiko. I do regret her fate and we did care about each other to some extent. But romance was beyond us. My new body allowed me to consume the energy plant life to maintain my youth yet I could never gain immortality and Himiko was chosen by the sun. Destined be humanity's salvation but never allowed to live as a human. How could romance between two people as ironic and hopeless as that be possible?"

"Oh, so it was a relationship of need and logic. You understood and related each other but were unable love, so you skipped to the third step. A child between you two would indeed be powerful."

"Indeed Haru." Orochimaru's stance was began longer and stronger. He could tell from his posture that Orochimaru had no muscle in his body that was useless. No muscle simply for intimidation. There was no wasted breath, and no wasted movement, as would be expected of a ninja of his caliber. "So tell me what have you come for? You certainly won't ask me to join you? I don't have much interest wars that I didn't start." Orochimaru said. A dark aura forming around him.

"You say that, but in truth you find war as intriguing as I do, whether you take part in it or not."

"True enough. There is nothing so interesting as watching fools dig their own graves."

"You and I are the same then."

"Not quite. It interests me just as a gruesome murder case might interest a crime investigator. I don't derive pleasure from war, I simply use them if it suits my purposes."

"Is that right? I think you might find this war a bit more pleasurable."

Orochimaru's stance softened. "I can't believe I'm actually going to listen to you."

"Can we sit down somewhere?"

"No."

Haru couldn't help but frown at the answer. It was clear this man was not going to be in position where it made it harder for him to fight.

"I plan to release a great power sealed under the Leaf Village."

"And what power is that?"

"Hachiman."

Orochimaru's mouth opened slightly at the mention of the name of the god of war. Then he began to laugh. "Are you mad boy? You plan to release that monster? For what? It has no purpose. No power that can be used to your benefit. It is merely a force of nature."

"Exactly." Haru said with as as much determination and confidence as he could muster. "It will be released, complete its task, and then go back to sleep no matter what I do. And that's what I want."

"You're talking about bringing forth the apocalypse." Orochimaru began to smile.

"We both know it won't be so grand."

The three of Orochimaru's subordinates were growing uneasy, but didn't speak. "Indeed. So tell me, why did you come to talk to me about it?"

"I see you as a special war potential, so I'd like to come along."

"So that means you view me as one of the people who can kill you."

"As far I can tell, you are the _only_ one capable of killing me."

Orochimaru sighed. "You always were like that. Anything or anyone that was threat to you, you did everything in your power to win it to your side. Whether it was in a fight or game of tag." Orochimaru said sarcastically. Though he knew Orochimaru as a child he never knew that he had discerned so much about him. However there was something missing.

"You presume to know me quite well. Orochimaru." Haru said.

"Not at all. You are a unique man. One who is a black sheep no matter what flock he finds himself in. Misunderstood and undesired. Why else are you so keen on destroying the world?"

"Hn." Haru smirked. "I came here for your answer."

Orochimaru returned the smirk. "Never." The venom on Orochimaru's voice was threatening as a cobra's.

Haru locked glares with Orochimaru again as the other three in the hall prepared for battle. "I'm surprised Orochimaru, I thought you'd be interested in the results of my mission."

"At another time I would've been. But I've rather grown bored of large-scale destruction. After all, what good would it do anyone? Especially me? I used to want to control everything though all I want to see now, is what others can do with the world the way it is. So no. Releasing the war god is something that would interfere with the world I like to observe.

Haru scoffed. "You've grown soft, you old snake." He said as he walked away.

"Perhaps I'm not the only one. Or do you really plan to just walk out of here without killing us. After all, I might just decide to inform the hokage of your plans." Orochimaru's voice seemed to mocking him behind his back.

Without turning he replied. "Perhaps. But I think we both know he can't stop me."

"One thing I've learned is never to underestimate that fool. Haru." Orochimaru sounded sincere.

"Point noted. I honestly don't care what you do Orochimaru, As long as I can do what I want." He turned to face Orochimaru. "I just remembered. Mitsuki. I think I should let you know that I plan to make him the sun's chosen one. My trump card. In exchange I will take everyone and everything that loves and knows. I will spare him the burden of having to push those that he loves away on his own." Haru walked away without waiting on a response from Orochimaru. He knew that the snake would not face him unless he absolutely had to. Just because Orochimaru was capable of killing Haru doesn't mean it was guaranteed. As he left the hideout a snake slithered past his feet. "Hn. We'll meet again Orochimaru."

* * *

"Your ramen's always the best Old Man Teuchi." Naruto said to the old ramen chef. The old man simply smiled back full of pride. He'd been coming here since he was a child and few other food could satisfy him the Ichiraku Ramen. he looked over at Sarada, to see his young apprentice enjoying her bowl as well though slower that himself. Naruto added his fourth empty bowl to the stack of finished bowls next to him Sarada finished hers as well.

Naruto paid the rather hefty bill and waved goodbye to the Teuchi. "Thank you, Uncle Naruto." Sarada said to him.

"Huh?" Naruto wondered what was on the girl's mind. She could be feisty but she always thanked him for everything as if it were her first time being allowed to go out this.

"It's just that I don't get to feel this way a lot." Sarada replied the sadness evident in her voice.

"What do you mean?"

"I just well . . you know. My mom can get caught up with work at the hospital sometimes and my dad . . ."

"I understand." Naruto what was going on. There was always tension when Sarada and Sasuke spoke to each other. The two walked in silence for a bit. Naruto was glad for Sarada's company as he didn't get to have these sorts of chances with his children very much. Shadow clones didn't cut with his family and being there by himself was . . . difficult.

"So let's go do some more training." Sarada suddenly said.

"Sarada." He was surprised by the young kunoichi's determination. "I just thought that you wanted to take the rest of the day off."

"No way. You said you'd be with me the whole day today. I don't want to waste it."

"I understand, but don't think you should take care of yourself and take the day off?"

"No way. I have to get stronger so I can beat Boruto!" She immediately covered her mouth at her utterance of the boy's name.

Naruto cracked up in laughter and patted Sarada's head. "Trying to take the genius genin down a notch huh? Talk about aiming high. But I suppose with you it's okay since you're not completely hopeless unlike me."

Sarada sighed in relief at that. In truth, Naruto couldn't help feel a sense of nostalgia looking at Sarada. At her age he had defeated both Neji Hyuga and Gaara, bot recognized as the strongest genin from their villages. The odds of him defeating one of them was hopeless, as it was but defeating two would be something out of fairy tale. Thus, he was as surprised as everyone when he defeated both of them. Though it had been close.

Boruto was the genius son of an idiot. While Sarada was no idiot and was incredibly gifted, it would be wrong to deny that she didn't possess the same genius potential as he father. He was happy however to know that his student wouldn't let that stop her. _This girl's just as stubborn as I am._

"So will you train me today or not?" Sarada tone was impatient.

"Okay sure. How about we go to the river? We can train on the water."

"Yeah." She was enthusiastic again. Naruto smiled at his pupil who ran ahead leading the way.

When they reached their destination they found that they weren't the only ones who had the idea of training here. Sparring on the on the river were none other than his own son and Sarada's father. "Hey Boruto, Sasuke!" Naruto called to them.

The two turned to look at them, clearly surprised by the coincidence. "What are you guys doing here Dad?" Boruto asked.

"We came here to train." Naruto replied.

"Is that right?" Sasuke said. Sarada scowled at him.

"Well we were here first." Boruto said defiantly.

"Hey now, I think we can come to some sort of compromise here." Naruto said looking at Sasuke confidently. He had just the idea to settle, help Sarada towards hero goal, and hopefully one-up Sasuke.

"What?" Sasuke said clearly annoyed by the hokage's staring.

"We'll decide who gets to train here by having a sparring match between our students Sasuke."

""What?!"" Both Boruto and Sarada said in unison.

"What kind of preposition is that?" Sasuke asked.

"A good kind. It's clear that whoever wins this match has the better teacher."

"This is stupid." Sasuke said.

"Yeah." Boruto added in.

"Come on Sasuke. You're not scared are you?" He teased the uptight Uchiha. "Afraid that I'm a better teacher than you in addition to becoming hokage?"

"Hang on. Don't me and Boruto get a choice?" Naruto heard Sarada's question but was too focused on teasing her father.

"Sasuke. Don't tell me you're chicken?" Naruto kept on pestering his rival. He would not let him get away from this.

"Fine!" Sasuke finally spat. He huffed and looked he was ready to smash a rock. "Boruto!"

"What?" Boruto spat back clearly not interested in his mentor's and father's rivalry.

"You better not lose." Sasuke said.

"Fine. But I can't lose when I was taught by you."

"Hn." Sasuke smirked at Naruto. Naruto stifled the urge to smack that smirk off his face.

"Sarada." Naruto turned to his own pupil. "Let's take these geniuses down a notch."

"Alright." She nodded strongly.

The two genin stepped forward to face each other. Naruto and Sasuke stepped to the side.

The two genin glared fiercely at eachother. Naruto could tell that though they had no intention to do this yet, they were going to give it their all. Thus he had to make on thing clear. "This is just a sparring match you two. Injuries are inevitable, but we also we can't bring you two home half-dead or your mothers will kill us. Got it?"

""Right."" The genin replied in unison.

"Go!" At Naruto's call the two genin charged at each other.

* * *

Sarada instantly blitzed Boruto with a powerful chakra enhanced punch creating a massive crater upon impact. _What do you think of my new strength Dad?  
_ Once the dust from Sarada's attack settled, Boruto was not there. How did she miss? She pushed that question away as she turned and barely managed to evade a gentle fist strike from Boruto _._

His speed was completely different from before. He'd always been fast. The fastest of their generation in fact but this was on whole other level. There was no way she'd be able to follow him with normal eyes. _Sharingan!_ His movements had become so much clearer with her new fully matured sharingan. Now _Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!_ Several small balls of fire sped towards her blonde opponent only her flames to blown away by a blast of air from another gentle strike. _He can already create shock_ waves _using gentle fist. But . . ._ He just barely dodged the shuriken she'd hidden in the flames and one of them left a cut on his cheek. _I made the first blow._ Uncle Naruto had taught her to be proud of whatever progress she made. That meant you were that much closer to completing your task. Boruto smirked and cracked his neck. He instantly formed a rasengan larger than ever before and in single hand which he quickly threw at her.

Were it not for her sharingan she'd never have dodged the spiraling sphere and even then she just barely dodged. Next came a wall of water from Boruto's mouth which she could only match with her firestyle. She couldn't begin to imagine how he was ever able to do that and weave the hand signs for it so fast if at all. Boruto's attack left water at her feet. She wasted no time running lightning nature chakra through it sending a stream of electricity at Boruto which he made no attempt to even dodge. Instead the electricity never reached him. He smirked at Sarada surprise. Anyone else would've been dumbstruck but with her sharingan she could tell that he'd released chakra from his chakra points all at once creating a form of armour around him. She'd almost forgotten that Boruto was from the Hyuga Clan, who no one could match in terms of sheer chakra manipulation. Boruto pulled out out single kunai and prepared to attack.

 _BOOM!_

There was a great sound of an explosion far off in the distance, interrupting their match. "What was that?" Sarada asked. She turned to her and Boruto's fathers who seemed as if they'd expected this. "It's coming from the direction of the interrogation division!" Uncle Naruto yelled. That meant that something wrong with their prisoners. "Sasuke you get the kids home!"

"Right." her father answered.

"Dad!" Boruto yelled.

"Don't worry about me. I'm trusting you to look after your sister. Now go." The hokage ran away like an arrow fired from a highly compound bow. You didn't see him leave but you knew that he did.

"Come on. Let's go!" Her father called back.

"Come on Boruto!" Sarada called to her friend who seemed incredibly reluctant to obey. His eyes had that anger in them again. The anger of boy, no, a man looking for blood.

* * *

His sparring match with Konohamaru-sensei had been interrupted by the explosion. "Sensei?" Mitsuki looked to see if the jonin understood the situation.

"The sound came from the direction of the interrogation division. That means there something going on with the prisoners." He turned to Mitsuki with a stern a look on his face. "I'll take you home to keep you out of danger. Then I'll head to the interrogation division to see what's happening."

Mitsuki nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry but you can't go anywhere yet." The all to familiar voice of Haru Chinatsu stopped them in their tracks. Mitsuki and Konohamaru-sensei turned to face him.

"Haru. What do you want?" The sensei interrogated of the man.

"Your student there." Haru bluntly said as gestured to Mitsuki.

"What do you want him for?"

"I told you all that meant to. Since I have no use for you Konohamaru Sarutobi, you will die here." Haru threw his hand into the ground sending a stream of spiky earth in the sensei's direction. He expertly dodged the attack picking up Mitsuki as he did so.

"Mitsuki. You run. I'll hold him off." Konohamaru-sensei said.

"Sensei . . . " Mitsuki began.

"Go. I'll be fine I promise." With that Konohamaru-sensei charged the leader of the Black Sun with a rasengan in each hand. Mitsuki wasn't about to leave this battlefield yet. Thus he hid himself in the earth the way his father taught him to but still being able to observe the fight.

* * *

 _Massive Rasengan!_ Konohamaru's attack was being blocked by Haru bare hand. No. It was more it was being dismantled by another form of energy, but Konohamaru Sarutobi was no ordinary ninja. The rasengan had shrunken down to size but Haru jumped away leaving Konohamaru with a still a sizable rasengan. Konohamaru's chakra was incredibly powerful as would be expected of prospective hokage. The strain of blocking such powerful attack from such and opponent must've put strain Haru's body. _Good_. Or at least he thought it was good when saw that Haru didn't look exhausted at all.

Konohamaru took what was left of the rasengan and tried blitzing Haru only be blown away by some invisible force as Haru swiped his palm at him. Shaking it off, Konohamaru formed the tiger hand seal and and blew a great inferno from his mouth. This attack however was also blocked by what appeared to be lava. As the smoke settled down, Haru was indeed standing there surrounded by moat of lava. With Haru pushing forth his hand several streams of lava flew at Konohamaru. Konohamaru dodged with unerring speed of kage-caliber ninja. Though the lava streams themselves were also incredibly fast. He prepared for The multi-shadow clone jutsu.

"Ah." There was stabbing pain in his back as felt hot liquid flow from the source of the pain. He turned to see a kunai stuck in his flesh and hands holding it were none other than Mitsuki. His students. He looked at Haru who was wearing satisfied expression on his face.

Konohamaru groaned at the kunai left his body and he fell to the ground. This wasn't an ordinary stab Mitsuki used. There was chakra infused in it. Powerful chakra. That was the only way he could have been affected so greatly by it. He looked on as the lava moat around Haru died down and his student walked towards uncle. He wanted to see how Mitsuki looked right now. He also wanted to see what his _own_ face looked like. No doubt one of guilt, stupidity, and regret. "Mi . . . tsu . . . ki." He groaned out as felt his consciousness leaving him.

Mitsuki turned towards his former teacher. The look upon his face was emotionless. No pride, regret, joy, or pain. It was as if this was his natural duty. His duty to leave behind the ones who care for him. There was nothing he could do as Mitsuki and Haru walked away side by side. Nothing, as his eyes closed. _Gramps Third Hokage. Is this how you felt when Orochimaru left you?_

* * *

The interrogation division was in shambles. Naruto had managed to find a single survivor amidst the rubble, who told him of how suddenly the barrier surrounding Jet had simply dissipated and then he freed the rest of his comrades. How Jet had and the rest of Sol laid waste to the to all the guards. Afte the poor man had died. Naruto closed his and moved forward.

"Why did he break out now?" He said to himself.

"Because now was the best time." A voice answered from behind him. He turned and saw Shikamaru. "We got here too late." He was lamentful.

"Yeah. That usually seems to be the case with us doesn't it?" Naruto said. "What do you mean now was the best time?"

"The guard around your daughter has been set. All our preparations have been complete. We have done everything that we can in advance to protect ourselves against the Black Sun."

"You mean we exhausted a good portion of our resources to do it. Meaning there was nothing more that we could do. Making it easier for the enemy to plan against something our static and stagnant plans. But how did they find out?"

"There is much about their abilities that we are unaware of. perhaps they some method of observing of what happens inside the village."

"It doesn't matter. We need to get to the Uchiha residence and protect my daughter."

* * *

Sasuke threw open the door. "Everyone listen. We need to get Himawari out of here."

Hinata, Sakura, Himawari, as well as Kakashi Gaara and Killer Bee came into the entrance hallway. "Have they come for her?" Hinata said clearly frantic.

"They have. C'mon.

"Aw, man. And I was just about get ready for Rap Concert." Killer Bee Complained which Sasuke ignored.

Everyone quickly hustled out. Sasuke was particularly surprised by Himawari's calmness. Despite her life being in the greatest danger, she seemed surprisingly level-headed. When they told that she was target, she was definitely scared but didn't cry. He originally assumed that she was to young to understand what was happening. He later learned though that understood very well that she could die, but what scared her most was that others would die as well. _That is one brave girl._

Sasuke decided that leaving the village would be the best. They would head to one the Uchiha's secret hideout. He looked around and saw several figures coming towards them wearing the same dark ponchos as the ones who tried to kidnap Himawari before. One of them came directly at the group only to be deflected by a wall of sand. Gaara's attack. However several more came forth as well Sasuke unsheathed his sword to end them, but they sliced up by Killer Bee first all the while yelling some bad rap verses. Several then came for the side and they repelled by Kakashi's purple lightning. _Damn. They're getting all the action._

A single tall figure with long brown hair now stood between them and the main gate. "Jet."

"Hello. Sasuke Uchiha. And the hokage's daughter." He smiled at Himawari, who had activated her byakugan. "I'll be taking the girl now."

"Like hell." Boruto yelled.

"That wasn't a request." Jet replied. Suddenly countless more Black Sun members appeared beside Haru. And the ones that attacked them before returned as well. Sasuke activated his mangekyo sharingan preparing for battle.

"Sasuke." Kakashi spoke. "Me, Gaara and Bee will create an opening. Then you take everyone else and get as far from as possible." Kakashi voice had the utmost confidence behind it. He looked at the other two of Himawari's bodyguards. They both wore the same confident expressions.

"Kakashi." Sasuke began.

"Don't bother Sasuke. You can tell Naruto I tricked you into leaving us behind. " At that the sixth hokage, the fifth kazekage, and the eight-tails jinchuriki stepped for forward to make their stand.

Both of Kakashi's hands began to crackle ferociously with purple lighting. He he shot beam a gigantic purple lightning beam at the enemy blocking their path. While Gaara used his earthstyle to to shift the ground at their feet, making them lose balance and preventing them from successful blocking Kakashi's monstrously powerful attack. "Now." Sasuke shouted to the ones who weren't fighting. Hinata picked up Himawari as they blitzed for the gate that had been pretty much demolished by Kakashi's attack. As they passed the gate an enemy blacked their path which Sasuke prepared to cut down only for his student Boruto to beat him to it with a rasengan. He gave him a proud smile as the enemy lay on the ground struggling to pull himself together.

* * *

Boruto gave himself a mental pat on the back for taking out the enemy. He was just a soldier for Haru, but being able to get in the game made him self more important and felt like he'd taken an active role in protecting his sister. As the group leaped from tree to tree led by Old Man Sasuke, Boruto looked over to his mother and his sister. That was his drive.

There was a great heat hanging on the air. It felt like fire, no hotter. Looking to the ground he found something completely different. It was lave and the very trees they were gliding across were sinking it. "Sasuke." Aunt Sakura called.

"I know." Her husband replied, his face dripping with sweat. Eventually the ground beneath them became earth again. But keeping them reaching the trees on that side was none other than Black Sun leader himself. Haru Chinatsu. Boruto's hated enemy stood before wearing the same smirk on his face as the night he last tried to kidnap Himawari.

"So your the legendary Sasuke. I honestly thought you'd be taller." Haru mocked.

Boruto prepared himself for battle, but Old Man Sasuke ran in first, his sword storming with electricity. He slashed at Haru who blocked with golden glowing blade that seemed to materialize out of thin air. No. It did materialize out of thin air. _How did he do that?_ His father had told them that Haru could mimic the affects of ninja, but there was no ninjutsu that make weapon materialize out of thin air. "Wow, you really are fast Uchiha. But as would be expected." Haru said.

"I won't let you take my sister you bastard." Boruto said with as much venom and hostility as he could muster. If he had the byakugan it would flaring right now.

"Unfortunately kid, I can't leave without her." Haru said back.

Boruto was about to draw natural energy into his own body when he felt Old Man Sasuke hand on his shoulder. "Everyone grab onto me." Sasuke said.

Everyone did as told. In instant the group found themselves on in another tree that wasn't sinking. Looking at ground he found that it was actually there and not a pool of lava. He looked all around him and found that right behind him, with his back turned was Haru standing on a tree that was sinking in lava. _That was the tree that we were on._ This could only be the work of Sasuke's rinnegan technique: Amenotejikara. He had see him use it once during training, but had never once been truly part of the technique, It's feeling was similar to the flying raijin jutsu invented by the second hokage. But his just allowed Sasuke and anything attached to him to switch places with whatever he eyed.

"Sakura. you take everyone and head to the Kiba' and Tamaki's Uchiha hideout. I'll stay and deal with Haru.

"Right." Aunt Sakura replied.

Boruto wanted to stay and fight with all his heart. "C'mon!" Sarada pulled on him. "Let's go!"

Boruto got his wish though as when he turned there was massive, tall wall of earth that literally sprung out of the ground blocking their path. "Sorry but I can't let the girl get away this time." Haru said holding a glowing golden sword like weapon. He charged at Sasuke who countered with his own chidori infused blade.

Aunt Sakura tried to punch away the wall. Normally such an obstacle would be no match for her, but she was blown back after punch meaning that it was infused with natural energy. _Of course he wasn't just gonna let us escape so easily._ He turned to Sasuke's match with Haru. It was quite equal.

Sasuke jumped back and shot out a black sphere from his hand allowed it to hover above Haru. The black sphere began to rise and debris, lava, earth, and trees were being drawn towards it forming sort of sphere. _Planetary Devastation._ Boruto had heard of this rinnegan ability but to see it up close was magnificent. Haru himself was being drawn into it but seemed quite calm. _He's insane._ The sphere was about to finish when a great shock wave came from Haru as he yelled. The planetary devastation was destroyed and Sasuke used Susanoo to guard them from the falling debris. _  
_

Haru jumped to the ground. He looked tired. "Man. That rinnegan is real troublesome." Haru said gritting his teeth. Several stream of lava instantly began to crash against the Susanoo literally meting it. He could hear Sasuke struggling to keep up the defense. He looked over at the others. Sarada and her mother stood together looking at Sasuke. Aunt Sakura looking worried. Sarada looking completely scared. His own mother and sister were huddled together. Both of them with their byakugan activated. "Mom." Hima said.

"Don's worry Hima." His mother replied.

Hima didn't look truly worried. It was a look frustration. Frustration that this man kept trying to hurt them. At least that's what Boruto though it was. She didn't seem as afraid by the whole situation when the told Haru was targeting. He never knew she could be so brave. Boruto himself couldn't help but be terrified by this Haru's awesome power. As the Susanoo began to give way, the lava began to be engulfed by great black flames that formed a sort of shield around the group. This was Old Man Sasuke's amaterasu. The black flames instantly had an opening in them through which Haru blitzed through the black flames opening them like a door and tackled Sasuke. "You are a pain with this rinnegan." Haru reached down to Sasuke's face and he violently yanked his hand back. Blood exploded from Sasuke's face as he painfully screamed. "You won't be needing this eye anymore." He squeezed his hand that was no doubt holding said eye. Indeed blood began pouring between the fingers of the hand.

Sasuke kick Haru off of him, but struggled to get back up as his single hand clutched the left side of bleeding face. He tore out his rinnegan. Boruto stood there horrified. The legendary Sasuke Uchiha just lost his greatest trump card. Everyone knew that any dojutsu's full power could only be accessed when the user had both eyes in tact. Sasuke no longer did.

Aunt Sakura wasting no time ran forth with Chakra enhanced fist to push Haru further back which worked. She then grabbed her husband and ran back to their daughter. Both Sarada and Aunt Sakura had tears in their eyes as Sasuke stood back up, clutching his sword in his hand.

Boruto glared at Haru who was clearly paying no attention to him. Boruto wasted no time in placing his special seal on kunai and threw at At Haru who effortlessly caught it between his fingers. _Guess he was watching._ Haru smiled at him. Boruto instantly focused his chakra and allowed himself to become like the wind as he instantaneously appeared at the kunai's location and kicked Haru in the face sending him flying. He heard gasps from the other members of the group behind him.

Haru got back as he shook the dirt off of him. "Who would've thought that genin could successfully use the flying raijin jutsu? But you are of the Hyuga clan. Your chakra manipulation skills would be unmatched. Added to the immense reserves of chakra inherited from your father would make it easier to perform high-level ninjutsu when you put your mind to it. He smiled at Boruto as if he were praising him. "However . . . " Haru's foot shifted and in the next second he was directly up in his face and delivered as powerful kick to his gut, that sent Boruto flying into the dirt. "You should've struck me with a rasengan to do some greater damage. You must've been scared or angry, which clouded your judgement. But I'll give you credit, no ordinary ninja can get the better of me like that. It's shame I have kill someone with some much potential."

Boruto heard a yell as his mother attacked Haru to no avail as with swipe of his palm an invisible force sent her flying. Next came Aunt Sakura and Old Man Sasuke who were blown back by a shockwave. The three of the go back up to fight but countless of Haru's glowing blades came dow ntrap[ing them each in a cage and cutting them each as well. _This is bad._

He looked over to his sister who clearly frozen in fear, he then looked to Sarada who shakily got into battle stance activating her Sharingan. Boruto stood back up. "Hey. I'm not done yet." He looked Haru in his purple eyes. It was the first time. There was look in his eye that reminded him of himself. A look of longing and desperation for something. For understanding.

"Boruto Uzumaki." Haru began in casual voice with blood from Boruto's kick dripping from his mouth. "I said that no ordinary ninja can better of me, but don't get me wrong. I didn't acknowledge that you could kill me."

"I don't need your acknowledgement." Boruto still clutching his side.

"There's a fierce look in your eye." Haru said intrigued. "Yeah the look of man searching for something. Something that no one will understand." Haru lightly laughed. "I'm actually interested in seeing what your capable of but I have other matters to attend to. If you want try and kill me I won't stop. I always appreciate the effort if I can't get a result." He turned away and began walking towards Himawari.

"Damn you!" Boruto was still in pain. His insides rattled as he formed a rasengan and threw at his enemy who blocked in his hand but the spiraling sphere didn't instantly dissipate. He seemed to be actually struggle against it.

"I'm impressed Boruto. Your rasengan is powerful, but your frightened and injured. You can't properly mold chakra because I kicked with natural energy you in the stomach which where chakra is actually located. It has disrupted the flow inside you. But it seems not too significantly. Now I suppose I'll kill you first." As Haru raised his hand to attack he was stopped by Himawari's voice.

"Don't hurt him." Hima's byakugan flared as she stared down this impossible enemy. "Please. If I go with you, will promise to not hurt them anymore?"

Boruto wanted to cry. He couldn't believe the words coming out of his sister's mouth. And it seems that the adults in their cages couldn't either. As they screamed at Hima to not say such things.

Haru looked at the young girl standing up to her. "You do understand Himawari, that I am going to kill you later on."

"I know." She put her down. "I know." Her voice became quieter.

"Damn it!" Boruto charged a Haru again with a rasengan only to blown back by the same invisible force from before. He landed in the dirt which didn't rattle his insides like before but still hurt.

Sarada had apparently over come here fear as she leaped at Haru only to meet Boruto's fate. Defeat.

"Boruto. Your sister is bargaining for your life, your mother's life, and the lives of your friends." Haru said. "You ought to show some respect." He turned to Himawari. "You are a brave and loyal young woman. I give my word that will I no longer harm these people in exchange your cooperation." That had sealed the deal. Himawari diligently followed Haru while their mother frantically cried behind the cage of swords for her daughter to stop. Boruto got back up and prepared another rasengan and readied himself to throw it, only to feel a kunai enter his arm from behind. His arm dropped to his side in pain as he turned to see that it was Mitsuki who threw the kunai. "Big Brother!" Hima cried only to be silenced by a jab to the neck by Haru.

"Mitsuki. I promised I would not hurt these people anymore." Haru said clearly disappointed by Mitsuki's actions.

"You didn't though. I did. Of my own volition." He said as walked away right past Boruto and towards Haru. Not even bothering to look at him.

"Hey Mitsuki!" He called to his friend who stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. "What the hell are you doing?!"

No answer.

"Say something you bastard!" Boruto's voice was drenched in blind rage and confusion.

This time he did answer by punching Boruto in the throat with a stretch out arm. "I'm sorry Boruto." There was no emotion in voice as Boruto struggled to breathe grasping at his throat.

"Mitsuki!" This time it was Sarada who spoke. "Why?!" There were tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Mitsuki turned away from Sarada and stood beside Haru staring at his former teammates.

"Let's go." Haru put Hima under his arm as they began to walk away."

"Hold it, you assholes." Boruto said, still finding it hard to breathe. Sarada had stood up as well the fear in her gone, staring at their enemies angrily.

"Kid. I struck the bargain with your sister." Haru said. "I have no intention on breaking it over your stubbornness."

Boruto locked eyes with Haru again. He stepped for to to attack only to be stopped by Haru' voice.

"You really are strange." Haru shaking his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Boruto shot back.

"I've seen fools who don't know when they're beaten, but your different. You're even sadder."

Boruto ground his teeth not worrying about the damage that could he could be doing to them.

"You fight against me, but you can't beat me. It's not because of the difference in our physical abilities but your drive. You want to defend your family but you want avenge your family by killing me as well. It's such strange contradiction. You can't defend your family if you focus on killing me, and you can't kill me if you focus on defending your family." Haru's analysis was Boruto wasn't wrong. He just never thought about it before.

"Don't think you understand me, you bastard." Boruto said with all the rage of his soul. "I'll protect my family by killing you!"

"True. Your family will be protected if you kill me but that 's not the only way to do so is it?" Haru once again said something Boruto wished was wrong. "If you focus on killing me than you won't be protecting your family even if it serves that purpose. After all, one person's vendetta may mean another person's justice but they are never the same for the person committing the deed. You can't have it both ways. Protection and vengeance are opposites, though they maybe accomplished through the same means, they never mean the same thing."

"What are you trying to say here?"

"You have several desires but can't go to the full lengths for any of them because of their contradicting natures. You my friend, can't beat me now, because your don't know what you're fighting for." Haru snapped his fingers, there was great flash of light and Mitsuki, Haru, and Hima were gone.

The blade cages around the adults vanished.

Aunt Sakura ran to Sarada and embraced her as both cried into each other. Sasuke stood behind them with the blood still pouring from his left eye socket drenching the front his cloak in it.

He found himself in a tight embrace with his panicked and tearful mother, with tears coming out of his own eyes as he still stared at the spot where his enemies disappeared from. He wanted to comfort his mother. To help her. To apologize for his failure. But there were other things on his mind unfortunately. Invading the spaces in his mind that should be focused on his family.

Mitsuki's sudden and random betrayal and Haru's words: _"You don't know what you're fighting for."_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hi everyone. First I'd like to thank you all for sticking with me long and for your support. You see on September 8th I'll be going back to university and it'll difficult for me to update my story frequently. I don't know when I'll be able to get the next chapter out, so I hope you fans be too disappointed. I enjoy writing this fic as well and it's a pain to not be able to write it as frequently. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

Please comment and review.

I'll be changing my username to kulamrit5625 tomorrow.

When the next chapter does come out expect some serious drama and pain for Boruto and his friends.

\- Thanks.


	15. Chapter 15: There's Still Time

**Hi everyone, I'm back. I'm sorry I've been away for so long. I've been annoyingly busy with University, but I'll be making time to update as often as I can from now on.**

 **Thank you for being so patient.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The lava from Haru's power had consumed all but completely consumed the forest that had been their path of escape from the village. All the was left was a thick flaming sea of charcoal and melting earth. The smoke and heat from below reached and clawed at everyone's bodies even up in the air upon Sasuke summoned great hawks. It didn't help that his left eye socket still throbbed on his face even after Sakura had stopped the bleeding. Now he was a ninja with just one arm and one eye.

Sasuke looked at the two silent families riding on the two massive hawks he summoned. His wife and daughter rode on the hawk with him folded into each other for comfort, and the remaining Uzumakis were on the other hawk right beside them. Everyone's bodies and clothes were stained with blood. His daughter's and student's eyes were dark and sullen with defeat. They had been the last hope against Haru and they had failed.

Sasuke knew that there was nothing they could have done against the impossible enemy they had faced, and the friend who made the impossible betrayal, though it wasn't so impossible for Sasuke. He just wished he'd acted sooner. He looked to both the families. "We are going to get Himawari back." Sasuke breathed out slowly. "We know where they've gone so all hope isn't lost yet."

Sakura looked at Sasuke through the corner of her eye, and Boruto and Hinata didn't look at him at all. _I can't blame them_.

Boruto in particular seemed to be in another world at this point. His shoulders were tight beneath his sports jacket and his eyes narrowed in frustration and rage. Sasuke's young pupil was clearly shaken by Haru Chinatsu. Had his words truly impacted him so deeply? Or was it Mitsuki's betrayal? Sasuke decided it was both.

They reached the village but simply kept flying towards the Uchiha district. They wouldn't waste time by returning to report. Sasuke had the hawks flying at top speed. He kept the sharingan in his remaining eye active, scanning their surroundings. From the buildings far below to the skies around them, nothing yielded anything of the enemy. No dark hoods and no arrogant men in white clothing. He looked back down at the houses expecting nothing, instead he saw a something fast, red, and bright coming at them from one of the buildings. He got the hawks to dodge the projectile, everyone grabbing the feathers of the great hawks completely unaware of what had come at them. He saw another flaming projectile from the corner of his eye and had the hawks dive.

Before he knew it, they were being targeted by a volley of flaming projectiles, with the two hawks nearly overwhelmed by the attacks and the insanity of dodging them. Sasuke, concerned for everyone's safety had the hawks climb high into the clouds, out of the sight of their attackers.

"Fireballs targeting the skies. That means they've secured the district and likely half the Village around as well." Sasuke said as the hawks stabilized and everyone recollected themselves. He made his calculations based on how many had been fired at them. It was too much just to be fired from the Uchiha District.

"Why?" Hinata said turning to Sasuke. "If they're going to sacrifice Himawari right away, why would they bother securing so much area?"

Sasuke let out the breath he was holding from the ordeal with the fireballs. "It's because they _don't_ want to sacrifice her right away."

Everyone's eyes suddenly shot up, wide and open as if they had been woken from a nightmare.

"What do you mean Old Man?" Boruto asked using the annoying nickname he'd made for his teacher.

"If they wanted to sacrifice her right off the bat, they would be doing that instead of securing so much of the village for themselves. It means that there's still time."

"How much?" Hinata had that motherly instinct and rage in her eyes now.

"A good guess would be until the lunar eclipse that will occur in seven days. Sacrificial rituals require the unique energy of the light during an eclipse."

"We can save still her." Hinata wasn't looking at Sasuke now. She was looking at her knees that were crouched on the hawk.

"So what do we do Sasuke?" Now Sakura had asked.

"We regroup with Hokage and Himawari's guards and launch a joint attack." Sasuke replied. He turned to Hinata. "Are you okay with this?"

"No. But we don't have a choice." Her voice was cold and sharp with silent anger but Sasuke admired her resolve and strength in such a desperate situation.

Everyone sighed in relief except Boruto who stood up and shook his arms legs. "You guys have fun with that plan. We're gonna save my sister." Boruto pulled out a kunai and both he and Sarada leapt from the hawks they were on as their mothers screamed after them.

"Damn it!" Sasuke reached out to grab them but to no avail. He was now livid, especially after he saw the two grab hands and vanish mid-air with a yellow flash. _Boruto's flying raijin_. _Why'd I ever teach him that technique?_ Sasuke cursed himself mentally for being so careless. He stood up and tightened the sword at the back of his waist. "I should've seen this coming." Sasuke berated himself. He moved to push aside the hair curtaining the left side of his face and suddenly felt emabarred at the comment he had just made. "Oh, right." He whispered under his breath.

He looked to the remaining women still frozen in shock of watching their children leap into unparalleled danger. "Sakura, Hinata. Return and meet up with the Hokage. I'll get the kids."

"I'm coming with you." It was Hinata who'd spoken. "We'll be able to find them with my Byakugan."

"But-"

"We don't have time to argue." Hinata cut him off. Sasuke decided not to argue. He knew a woman scorned would be a terrible adversary indeed.

"Then I'll go report to the Hokage." Sakura said. "Someone also has to be ready to heal the kids when you bring them back." Sakura looked at her husband with an electrifying look that said: _"_ _if you don't bring them back in one piece, you're dead."_

"Alright. Good luck." Sasuke replied. _I love you_.

Sasuke and Hinata jumped from their hawks. Sasuke's black cloak billowing in the wind made was the image of a dark knight with his black cloak billowing behind like pair of a crow's wings. Hinata, the image of warrior goddess, her dark hair flying out like tendrils, ready to bring down judgement as they descended into enemy territory.

* * *

Himawari was locked in a large steel cage in the dark basement of one of the many village houses that had been evicted taken over by the Black Sun. Mitsuki, her guard circled the cage avoiding eye contact with Boruto's sister. "Hey." Himawari said.

Mitsuki simply continued his path around the cage, paying no mind to Himawari's attempts at communication. He had no reason to.

"I'm talking to you!" The young girl's voice rose in pitch, with obvious frustration. "You're my big brother's best friend. Do you have any idea how much you must've hurt him?"

 _Yes._ "I'm impressed that you're still able to worry about the others despite your own disposition Himawari." Mitsuki still didn't meet eyes with Haru's sacrifice, keeping his tone down and straight.

"Why are you doing this? My Dad can help you, you know?" Her tone had lowered as well.

Himawari still cared for those besides herself. _She truly is one of a kind._

"You're a kind person you know." Himawari said. "I don't think you really want to do this."

Mitsuki froze in his tracks. He turned to face Himawari with his mouth slightly opened. She stood and looked right him with the same soft eyes as the Hokage. They were calm and welcoming and sad. This girl, was sad not for herself, she was sad for Mitsuki. "What did you say?" Mitsuki stammered.

"Mitsuki!?" His Uncle's plain voice called from atop the stairs.

Mitsuki let out the breath that Himawari's comment had unknowingly caused him to hold. "Coming Uncle."

He turned his back on the Hokage's daughter, and dutifully climbed the stairs to his golden-haired. "What were you talking about with the girl?" Haru asked.

"Nothing important." Mitsuki kept his eyes to his feet. "Just how I hurt her brother."

"I see." Haru twirled the sun blade in his hand rather skilfully. "I'm not going to try and tell you that you did the right thing. But you did what you had to."

Mitsuki still didn't meet eyes with his Uncle.

"Mitsuki."

"Yes Uncle."

"Look at me."

Mitsuki did as he was told. He saw what was expecting. His Uncle's messy golden hair, casual white clothing and the Sun Blade, ready for the deed. "Anyone who has willingly accepted the duties of the Sun's Chosen One has gone through this. Are you ready?"

"I was born ready."

Haru chuckled. "They usually aren't."

The Sun Blade began to emit a rosy red light that illuminated the dim hallway they were standing in. In order for this to work the sun blade must have natural energy flowing through it and since Mitsuki was unable to control natural energy it was up to Haru.

He brought the blade to Mitsuki's heart and thrust. Mitsuki threw his head back, collapsed to the hardwood floor and cried out, clawing at his chest where the Sun Blade was sinking on its own into his body, becoming one with it. Never in his life had such excruciating pain entered his body.

It was like being pierced over and over by a thousand flaming kunai. That pain intensified as the Sun blade sunk deeper into his body. His muscles were tearing themselves apart like paper, his bones shattering beneath his flesh and tearing apart his insides like a shards glass in every inch of body. His brain overloaded with the pain and unfulfilled dreams of his predecessors, those who had accepted the blade into their body and who hadn't. He expected the he would explode at any moment.

He would receive no aid from Haru, but through the tears and hellish pain he looked up at him as he coughed up blood.

His Uncle's devilish purple eyes relishing his Chosen One and the dark grin over what he could accomplish with him bore down upon Mitsuki.

* * *

Naruto buried his head in his fingers as he processed all the information being given to him at the Uchiha Residence. Himawari's bodyguard squad had driven off their opponents sustaining minimal injuries, though they captured none of the enemy, and the one called Jet escaped. Half of the Village had been taken over by the Black Sun, holding the residents of the area surrounding the Uchiha District hostage, including the family of his adviser Shikamaru. The worst of all was the news Sakura brought. If he'd been there he could've saved his daughter. _That's what I'd like to think._

"Sasuke and Hinata will find the kids and bring them home." He said to his pink-haired teammate who hiding her distress at the situation.

He and Sakura stepped out of the house to meet with Himawari's former bodyguards all wearing apologetic faces. "Don't look so down." Naruto said to them. "Gaara. Bee. I'd like you to return to your villages. This threat is the Leaf's now."

Both of their faces shot up. "Yo, Naruto. We ain't going nowhere. Fool, ya' fool!" Bee rapped in anger.

"I agree." Gaara said firmly.

"The last thing this needs to become is an international incident. If either of you get hurt here, I'll have to take responsibility. And I'm afraid on my plate right now." Naruto stated firmly.

"Naruto." Bee said. He wasn't rapping anymore. "You trying to do everything alone again?"

Naruto simply looked into Bee's eyes through his sunglasses.

"Well then . . ." Bee turned to leave. "I suppose I'll go and see what else I can do around here." Bee leapt away at a speed that would've been considered unnatural for someone his size, or for anyone at that.

"What about you Gaara?" He said to the red-haired man. "You're the Kazekage. Imagine what it'll mean if something happened to you here."

"That's true. But I've still got some vacation time to kill, and my sister and nephew is in danger here. Plus, unless I find another worthy successor, Shikadai is practically my heir. Losing him won't be good politically or emotionally. So I'll go meet up with Shikamaru at your office." Gaara leapt away as well, no slower than Bee.

"That leaves you Kakashi-sensei." The former hokage had his hands in his pockets and and his posture was slouched and beaten like a man ready to crash from a hard day's work. His eyes however did not reflect the same lack of energy.

"That leaves _us_ actually." The Sixth Hokage said with the firmness of the teacher he had once been to the Seventh.

"That's right." Sakura spoke up. "We're still here. We're still Team Seven."

Naruto silently scoffed and began to walk away.

"You plan to attack the Black Sun alone?" Kakashi-sensei said behind him.

Naruto turned with a weak smile on his face. "You always figure me out sensei."

"That's right. And you haven't changed in a lot of ways. Do you really think you're gonna beat these guys alone?"

"It could happen." Naruto said without thinking. In truth he didn't know what would happen. "Look sensei. Sakura. I know you guys are worried, but this is something I have to do."

"Because it's your daughter?" Kakashi said. "I'm no parent. But let me tell you. The second you put on the hokage hat. Well actually when Konohamaru put on the hat for you, There were no longer things that just _you_ had to do."

"Well, like you said. You're no parent. You can't know what's it like to fail your kids like I did. I haven't been there for them when they really needed me. I told myself that it was because Hokage duties take up a lot of time, but . . . it doesn't matter."

He looked into his sensei's dark eyes. _He's not convinced_. Of course, Naruto didn't expect him to be.

"Well." Kakashi began. "Whatever your reasons are really isn't my business, but _you_ are. So I'll hold down the fort here, while you and Sakura go to the Uchiha district."

Kakashi looked to Sakura at his side. Who seemed flustered that her former sensei had already figured out her intentions.

"Naruto. Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Kakashi repeated the first lesson Naruto had learned from him. "Trying to everything on your own and pushing them away is kind of like abandoning them too."

A lump formed in the Seventh Hokage's throat.

"Well. Good Luck." Those were the last words the former hokage spoke before leaping away.

Naruto stared at the spot his teacher had just leapt from for a moment. "Let's go. Sakura."

"Right."

The two members of Team Seven leapt away as well.

* * *

Mitsuki's chakra control was practically superhuman. The boy had stabbed him in the back using chakra to both render him unconscious as well heal most of the damage at an incredible pace. Konohamaru made a mental note to praise him for that after he found and beat the living daylights out of him.

He'd been tracking Mitsuki's chakra to know that he was near the Uchiha District, with Naruto's daughter. That meant that Haru succeeded, but for whatever reason couldn't sacrifice her yet, that meant that there was still time to stop them, and what ever plan they had. Konohamaru had to be quick if he wanted to stop them. He was running towards the Uchiha District,n o doubt having to pass through parts of the Village that were Black Sun territory.

It was shameful. The village his Grandfather had given his life for, now half of it was in the hands of the enemy. _I won't fail you Gramps Third._

Konohamaru skidded to a stop from his run when he found his path blocked by figure in a dark hooded poncho. "Are you Black Sun?" Konohamaru asked of him.

"I don't answer to the likes of you!" The figure replied in a male voice. A strange glowing blade appeared in his hand and he charged Konohamaru with supernatural speed.

 _I'll take that as a "yes."_

Konohamru held out his hand, grabbed his attacker's throat and squeezed, crushing everything under the man's flesh, and slammed the man's body into the ground causing the earth to sink, crack, and shatter. All of this Konohamaru accomplished in one fluid movement. This was the power of one of the Hidden Leaf's best. _You had no idea who you were dealing with fool._

His attacker's dead eyes were stuck open, wide with shock. There was blood dripping from his mouth. It was a most foolish look. _What was he fighting for?_ Did he truly believe all ninja were evil? Or was he simply following orders?

Konohamaru knew he'd never know, just like the dead man didn't how helpless he truly was against the grandson of the Third Hokage. He removed the man's poncho at pulled it over his own head.

He looked down and examined himself. _These people have tackiest sense of style._ He removed his signature blue neckerchief and ninja headband. He had no intention of rushing in for a full-scale attack as tempting as it was.

He started running again, towards Mitsuki and Himawari's location. Konohamaru knew that there was time, but nonetheless he had to hurry. He had to save his student.

* * *

The Flying Raijin jutsu. An almost instantaneous transportation technique invented by the Second Hokage, and taken to further heights by Boruto's grandfather, the Fourth Hokage.

Sarada supposed it was in Boruto's blood. Even so, being the first in over thirty years to be able to use the technique on his own was a stellar feat. Sarada believed her friend might just be the second coming of the Yellow Flash. It was clear that hokage flowed through his veins.

Boruto threw open the door to an old-looking, rickety, abandoned shed for them hide. It was empty. There were short strands of hay on the ground, so Sarada guessed it must've been a gardener's at some point. And it was cozy. Too cozy.

She and Boruto struggled to get themselves in to the shed without bumping their heads against each other. Once inside they each sat against opposing walls, longing for more space.

Sarada looked across to her friend. "Where'd you learn that technique?" She asked.

Boruto didn't look up at her. "Your Dad."

"My Dad can't do the Flying Raijin."

"Yeah but he'd seen my reanimated Granddad and the Second use it during the war with his Sharingan. He knew perfectly well how it worked even though he can't do it himself, so he used genjutsu to show me."

"I see."

"But it's not much. It's not as near as fast as my Granddad's or the Second's. I mastered the basics, but that's about it."

She was impressed at Boruto's modesty. The Boruto's she grew up with was friendly but never missed a chance to boast about his prodigious abilites. "You ought to give yourself some more credit. I mean, it worked pretty well against Haru." She was being sincere. After her father had been taken down, she didn't expect anyone else to be able to even scratch their enemy.

Boruto simply scoffed. "I just got lucky. Caught him off guard. That's all it was." He still wasn't looking at her.

"Yeah but every success means something. You Dad told me-"

"I don't care what my Dad told you!"

She finally saw his wide and hard sapphire-blue eyes. They were filled with icy rage, and boiling sadness.

"The one chance the old man had to be protect his family, and he blew it." He exhaled sharply.

Sarada was taken aback and bunched even tighter against the wall. "I'm sorry." Normally she would've yelled back. But she understood her friend's anger. There were many times in her life that she wished her own father were there for her.

Her friend turned away. Not looking her in the eyes anymore. "What about your Dad?" He said quietly.

"What about him?"

"He's gonna kill you when he gets his on hands you." He said with light, humorless chuckle.

She couldn't help but smile at that. Despite what she thought of him, the man did his best and even gave up an eye to protect everyone. _Maybe he isn't so bad after all._ "He's gonna more pissed at you."

"For ditching everyone?" He looked at her again, the laughed. "I'm more worried about what my Mom will do. She can be really scary you know."

"I don't mean for ditching everyone. I mean for holding my hand when we jumped."

Boruto's blushed furiously. "I- It was for the jutsu. You know that! He knows that!"

"Yeah, but do you really think that's going to keep him from killing you?"

Boruto's face turned paler that Mitsuki's, and the boy shrunk into himself. Sarada put her fingers to her lips, trying to keep from laughing.

For a while that seemed like days, there was a nagging silence between them. Himawari's stunt kept scratching her mind. She offered herself up on a silver platter to the enemy who she knew would kill her. Did she know that her family and friends would come to her? No. She couldn't have. She forfeited her life for the lives of the people precious to her. _Like a real Hokage._ Would Sarada had been willing to make such a sacrifice if in the same position as Boruto's sister.

"Why'd you come Sarada?" Boruto's voice shook her from Sarada's self-pity. She looked up the boy. The anger had settled down in his eyes. It had not left them though.

"I just. . . I wanted to save Hima." She said. "And Mitsuki." She quickly added.

"Why him?" Boruto's voice froze Sarada's heart. "He made his choice. I don't plan on risking my neck for him." His voice was as potent as a cobra's venom. Sarada couldn't believe she was hearing this. Was Boruto sick?

"Did I hear you right? It's Mitsuki. Your best friend. I figured that you, having been his friend since the beginning, you would want to save him more than me." She would've yelled but kept her voice down knowing that they were in enemy territory.

"Knowing Mitsuki. He thought everything through. He knew what risks he was taking and the consequences."

"Yeah but. What if he didn't betray us? What if he's just-"

"What? a double agent?" Boruto interrupted. "All the more reason to mind our own business."

"But we're a team. We don't just give up on each other like that."

"He decided to go off on his own!" The anger returned to Boruto's eyes. "He gave up on us. So as far as I'm concerned, He's not our teammate anymore."

What happened to them? What happened to the perfect team they'd built together? Or was it ever perfect?

"If he gets in my way, if he keeps me from saving my sister, I'll kill him." Boruto's words alone could've killed someone. Every word was as heavy and unyielding as a mountain.

"No." Sarada said, with every fiber of her soul. "I won't let you kill him." She activated her Sharingan, glaring at Boruto with all her anger. "The Seventh didn't give up on my Dad when he betrayed the Village."

"Yeah, I heard about that." He coldly. "And both of them lost an arm."

 _Stop talking._ She wanted to say, but couldn't the words to leave her tongue.

"Are you gonna give up an arm to save Mitsuki? Or your life even?" Boruto's eyes pierced like icy swords. It was clear that this boy had no intention to go after Mitsuki.

"I don't know about that. But how can I become Hokage, if I can't even save one friend?" She didn't mean to quote the Seventh, but the words poured out on their own.

Boruto didn't make a reply. She was glad he didn't. Anything further would've started a fight between them, and they had to conserve their energy for their real enemies.

"We should get going." Boruto said. He opened the door slowly checking both sides of the opening to see if they were being watched. "You lead the way." He turned to Sarada. "You know how to get the Uchiha District right?"

"I haven't been there myself, but I know where it is from every angle." She replied stoically.

The two stepped out of the small shed. The sun was setting. "Time's running out." Boruto spoke.

"Follow me." She said to her angry friend who followed behind her. "We should also get some of those Black Sun clothes, to disguise ourselves."

* * *

 **I know there wasn't much action in this chapter. But expect some for later on.**

 **I figure at this point it's only fair to let all you loyal fans know that a theme throughout this fanfiction is helplessness. By having powerful characters being defeated, and naive youngsters being made aware their weaknesses, I hoped to create a situation in which people change because through feeling helpless. I promise you this change won't necessarily be for the best.**

 **I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update this, so please stay tuned.**

 **P.S. I am planning another Naruto fanfiction as a sequel to Boruto: Naruto the Movie (I haven't seen the movie but I've the light novel) and the main themes will revolve around human desire and dreams.**


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